


mall boyfriend rental #4

by porkjihoon



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Love, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Romantic Comedy, Slice of Life, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-07-10 06:02:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19900987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/porkjihoon/pseuds/porkjihoon
Summary: mark lee decides he wants to take home the cute boy that his friends rented for him at the mall





	1. rule #1

******♡ Mark ♡**

rule #1: Baekhwajeom Boyfriends is NOT a dating service

“How do you write about falling in love?”

“Mark,” began Renjun, his pure-looking face lighting up with amusement. “What’s his name?”

“Yo, what do you mean?”

His friend cocked his head at him. “Who’s the boy you like?”

Mark pushed up his circular-framed glasses so they sat comfortably on top of his face and the sides of his black hair. “It’s for class.”

“Bullshit,” declared Jaemin, a bubblegum-haired boy to Renjun’s side. Jaemin’s expression was sweet but his voice was all tease as he walked hand in hand with his boyfriend, whose eyes laughed underneath strands of a bleach-blonde undercut.

“Jeno,” Mark pleaded, “I told you this last night in the apartment, right?”

Jeno stretched his arm out of his black sleeveless tee and put it gently around his boyfriend’s waist. “Well, I’m sure that finding a boyfriend might help you out with that, Mark.”

“Thanks, dude. I really appreciate the advice.”

While Baekhwajeom Fashion Centre may also be unable to directly offer any advice to Mark, it did have more than enough space to wander through before the boys had to resume consciously thinking during school again. A twenty-something minute drive from their apartment on campus, the mall boasted an impressive variety of nearly 200 specialty stores, scattered throughout three levels. Mark only needed to purchase a notebook. _Maybe, this is a little overkill._ But him and his friends readily took the excuse to come wander throughout the collection of stores. Being off-campus was exciting enough as it was.

The summer term at Gyoyook University was beginning tomorrow, which meant syllabi and corresponding materials should be found today (though this is the last thing that the boys wanted to do). Mark Lee was enrolled in two of these classes, both 3-credit courses on creative writing to go towards his major. While the latter focused on poetry, Mark’s question concerned his short story class, WRITING 223: Youth and Romance in Summer. _I still cannot believe that’s the title of this section._ His first assignment? To begin brainstorming for their final project, eight double-spaced pages about any topic related to “summer love.” It seemed to Mark that this prompt, as well as the entire sub-focus of the class, was meant to be a more “fun” topic to explore, considering the July weather and the freedom that comes with it, but Mark had reached an impasse—not because he hated writing or reading romance, or even due to a lack of experience since good writers are to observe and imagine. He just faced the common dilemma of all authors, from great novelists to news reporters and teenage fan fiction enthusiasts.

He lacked inspiration.

“Y’know, things look different every time I come here,” Mark noted. The boys were currently on the first floor. They’d eventually have to head up to the third floor to get to the bookstore. Mark wasn’t in a rush though, at least, not for this. There were more pressing matters at hand. “Which way is the restroom again?”

“You always have to go to the bathroom, dude,” said Renjun.

“He doesn’t even drink that much water,” Jaemin added. “He probably pees battery acid.”

Mark’s expression shifted to match his slight offense.

“Just keep walking down to the left,” Jeno conceded.

“I _do_ drink water.”

“You’re _so_ cute, Mark,” Jaemin teased. “Let’s get you to the bathroom, okay?”

They passed the mall’s center, a circular area distinguished by black tile squares rather than the same off-white flooring that could be found everywhere else in the building. Symmetrically arranged artificial palm trees towered from hollowed out spaces in the ground below. It was lush, almost excessively so, and more importantly:

It was in his way.

Walking became a task in itself, except walking was exactly what he had to do in order to avoid leaking “battery acid” in the nearby fountain. Seeing the “Restrooms” sign hung adjacent to the entrance of a department store, he didn’t look back at his friends before leaving.

“We’ll wait out here for you,” Jeno called out.

At least, that’s what Mark imagined he had said.

“Got it.”

This may have also just been in his head.

Among the thoughts that Mark had while using the urinal:

  * __So, class is tomorrow__


  * _Wait, we’re already more than halfway through 2019…_


  * _Bro…_


  * _We’re going to have to share our short stories in class, huh?_


  * _Maybe I should drink more water_


  * _I should drink more water_


  * _Drink more water_


  * _Lessgetit_



Saving himself the courtesy of putting wet hands under the hand dryer to do nothing other than ~blow~ it away, he exited. This end of the mall seemed unfamiliar to Mark. Not only that, but his friends were nowhere in sight. 

“What the f—“

His Android ( _yes, Android_ ) lit up with a message:

**Renjun** : we’ll meet you at the pink booth in an hour

**Mark** : where are u guys????

**Renjun** : look in front of you, dude

What he saw had to be from his imagination. 7-foot tall pastel boxes, not unlike those which contain dolls, stood in two equal rows of eight. The perimeter of each box was lit up like a dressing room vanity, while heart-shaped signs were affixed to the corners, reading different names, presumably of the respective figures standing within. These mannequins stood partially in front of their assigned spaces as the side of each box that faced outwards was used as a display frame of sorts. Every figure was handsome, dressed in perfectly-fitted suits, and... _could move_? A modellike boy with foxy eyes waved at Mark before stepping out to accompany a female customer.

“Hello,” called a boyish voice ahead of him. “Are you Mark Lee?”

Mark’s eyes followed the sound to a peach-colored booth, with an even bigger heart sign printed in the middle. “Baekhwajeom Boyfriends.” Sitting in a white fuzzy desk chair was a youthful boy—most likely younger than Mark—whose vivid red fringe reminded Mark of a raspberry. In spite of his kiddish looks, the boy looked professional, wearing a silk shirt that was the color of sapphire. “Daehwi” was pinned on a tag over his own heart. His eyes scanned Mark through clear-rimmed glasses, probably evaluating his oversized white tee and black sweatpants. 

“Are you in charge of this thing?”

“I am,” replied Daehwi. “Are you Mark Lee?”

Mark’s eyes shifted. “...Yes.”

Daewhi nodded slowly, deciding this would have to do. “Do you have a preference in which boyfriend you’d like?”

“I’m sorry?”

The manager smiled tightly with his lips together. “Would you like to take a look? I can show you myself, if you’d like.” Daehwi didn’t wait for a response, yet Mark followed him anyway. “Mark, this is our most popular model,” he announced outside of a pink box marked #1. The brunette boy inside was maybe 5’ 10,” with a smile that exposed his bunny-like front teeth and made his eyes brighten. 

“Hey,” he said in a comforting, deep voice. “My name is Daniel.” He took a hand out of his black slacks and placed it on the back of his neck. “It’s Mark, right?”

“Yeahhh,” answered Mark, flattered, somehow forgetting that Daehwi had just said his name two seconds ago.

“Maarrkk,” sang someone from box #5, painted baby blue. “Pick me!” He was full of natural energy, from the effortless swoop of his black comma hairstyle to his playful grin. 

_“Seongwu.”_

“In case you can’t decide, your friends did pick someone that they think would suit you,” said Daewhi, approaching a lavender box towards the middle. “#4.”

#4’s dark brown eyes made his stare look deeply intense. His features were princelike, from his eyebrows to his perfect nose and lips that ever so slightly suggested a smile at the corners. Voluminous brown hair was parted in waves from the middle of his scalp. Even the two or three loose strands that brushed against his right eyebrow seemed both effortless yet meticulously intentional. His classic black suit was wrinkle-free. He was beautiful, but undoubtedly masculine. His stance alone radiated an energy that made Mark attracted to him before he spoke.

“My name is Jaehyun,” he said slowly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mark.”

Mark was shocked by the warmth in Jaehyun’s voice as he called his name. He stood still, already unable to grasp the situation at hand as if this new appearance made it any easier. _Close your mouth._

“Haha, it’s nice to meet you too, Jaehyun,” he said, unsure of how much of a dumbass he must’ve looked like in this moment.

Daehwi glanced over at him. “This isn’t a dating service, Mark.”

“I never s—”

“That’s just rule #1,” continued Daehwi, unfazed. “Baekhwajeom Boyfriends are here for you to rent, but they are _not_ here to be your date. Well, not during mall hours or within mall property. You can obviously decide how you spend your time together beyond Baekhwajeom.”

The black-haired boy tried not to let this embarrass him and attempted to match the other’s calmness. _I am calm, of course._ “Of course.” He directed his gaze at Jaehyun ( _holy f—_ ), then immediately back to Daehwi. “Wait, so do I have to spend an hour with him now?”

Jaehyun stares right at him. “Is that a bad thing?” Mark could’ve sworn the corners of Jaehyun’s lips turned up a little bit more.

“I never said that either hahaha,” he laughed nervously, maybe for a moment or two too long.

“Well, Jaehyun has to work,” Daehwi interjected, “And your friends did pay for the service, after all, so I would enjoy myself. Be back in an hour,” He smiled, nodding at the two of them. He leaned over to Mark. “They picked well, don’t you think?”

_Why Jaehyun?_

“Yeah, I guess,” said Mark, waving goodbye to Daehwi, who went back to his initial position at the booth. He shyly turned toward Jaehyun. It was now just the two of them, both strangers to each other until this arranged meeting by Mark’s friends.

“So, where did your friends go?”

“I don’t know,” Mark admitted. “They said they’d be back here in an hour. They must think it’s funny to leave me here alone.”

“You’re not completely alone though.”

“Yeah, ha, you’re right.”

Jaehyun crossed his arms, smirking. “Just remember, this isn’t a dating service.”

Mark raised an eyebrow at him. “I have to buy a notebook.” He turned toward the escalators across from the restrooms. 

“Do you have class or do you just like to write?”

Mark didn’t expect Jaehyun to ask a question or to come along with him either, though it was his job for the next fifty-something minutes. “Both,” answered Mark, facing him. “Summer classes start tomorrow.”

Jaehyun smiled. He leaned against the handrail in a manner that annoyingly lacked any sense of cool-guy pretension. “What are you studying?”

“Writing.”

“What’s your favorite kind of writing?”

“Anything, as long as it’s interesting.”

Floor two.

“Is the notebook for class?”

Jaehyun asked a lot of questions.

“Yes.”

“What’s the class about?”

Mark was slightly more reluctant to answer this question. “‘Youth and Romance in Summer,’” he quoted. “We have to write a short story about this for our final assignment.”

“Wow.”

Floor three.

“So,” Jaehyun continued, following Mark. “Do you have any ideas for your story?”

Mark couldn’t tell if it was the topic or Jaehyun that made him embarrassed to say anything more, but he decided to tell the truth. “Not yet.”

The bookstore was mostly empty when compared to the rest of the mall. Back to school shopping wouldn’t begin for another month. The only people walking among the beige walls and shelves were an elderly couple resting in matching armchairs, a group of teenage girls skimming through celebrity-stuffed magazines, and a relatively aggressive-looking guy that must’ve been in his mid to late twenties. His physical appearance suggested he’d be anywhere other than a bookstore. A pair of glasses brought Mark’s attention to the stud in his nose and the little hoop earrings that he wore. His neon pink sweater couldn’t entirely hide the tattoos on both of his hands. Three heavy gold chains were wrapped around his neck, alongside a seemingly misplaced lanyard with the store logo in it. When Mark and Jaehyun entered, he stopped restocking the display of bestsellers and faced them. 

“What’s good?” He spoke with more attitude than the bookstore possessed itself. “How can I help you two today?”

Mark was caught off-guard. “Do you work here?”

“What this look like to you?” The guy flipped his lanyard around, revealing a nametag: _“Jay.”_ The employee looked Mark up and down. “You looking for a comic book or something?”

“No.”

“Oh, you a weeb? You like manga?”

“What? No.”

“You like that boys’ love shit? You looking for yaoi? We got that too in the back.”

Jaehyun chuckled as Mark became embarrassed.

“I’m just trying to find a notebook,” he objected finally.

“You should’ve said that,” said Jay, putting his hands on his hips. “You look like you like yaoi.” He pointed to a triangular shelf in the middle of the store. “Notebooks are over there. Diaries too, if you’re interested.” Jay’s eyes went over Mark again, then to Jaehyun. “You two dating?”

“This isn’t a dating service,” Mark repeated instinctively.

Jaehyun laughed heartily while Jay kept silent, understandably unable to process what the blushing Mark had just said to him. The older of the pair retained his composure as he followed up to Mark’s point. “Yes, we are.”

“That’s what I thought,” said Jay, his eyebrows unfurrowing. “You look good together. Yaoi boy need to step it up with the fit, but you guys are cute. Let me know if you need anything else, man.”

“Thank you,” said Jaehyun. He gestured to Mark to follow him in the direction of the notebooks as Jay went back to work on the display. Once he was far enough behind them (and Mark’s cheeks cooled down), the younger boy tried to catch up with his alleged “boyfriend.”

“Yo, why’d you say that?”

“It was better than your answer,” explained Jaehyun.

They made eye contact.

“Word.”

As Mark pawed through the notebooks on a small display near the registers, Jaehyun’s questions started up again.

“Where do you go to school at?”

“Gyoyook,” he said, putting down a leather-bound diary. “It’ll be my third year there in the fall.”

Jaehyun lowered himself again and started to help Mark pick out a notebook. “I graduated from Bijineseu last year.”

“Really?” Bijineseu is the business school at Gyoyook, one of the finest business schools in the country. Students at Bijineseu were set for success once they left campus. “So, what are you doing here?”

“Marketing.” Jaehyun tucked away a square notepad. If he was offended, it didn’t show in his voice.

“I’m sorry if that came off badly,” said Mark, covering his bases.

“Nah, it’s the truth. I’m working on a streetwear startup with my friends.”

“Is it going well?”

“Well, I’m here,” Jaehyun said quickly, still sounding more nonchalant than hurt. “It could be going better, but it could also be worse.” He offered a dark red hardcover notebook to Mark. “It hasn’t taken off yet.”

A small black ribbon peeked out of the top of the notebook. Mark examined its pages, which were crisp and clean. He flipped back to the front. A two-toned pink heart was centered on the cover, drawn as if it was melting, or dripping, onto the book. “DNYL” was written in magenta bubble letters, with devil horns coming out of the top of the “D” and the end of the “Y” as the matching tail. Mark showed off the notebook to Jaehyun.

“What do you think of this one?”

The two of them were squatting over the bookstore’s carpet. Mark looked at Jaehyun more closely. Dimples formed in his cheeks when he smiled. His skin was smooth and white like rice. He was cute when he smiled.

“Perfect.”

A squeaky noise came from Jaehyun’s pocket. He didn’t check his phone for what the sound was.

“That means there’s fifteen minutes left before my shift ends,” he said, noticing Mark’s expression. “Your friends are meeting you back at the booth, right?”

“Oh, yeah.” Part of Mark felt strangely disappointed by this news. “I’ll check out then.”

“Do you want me to carry that for you?”

“It’s just a notebook haha.”

Jaehyun put his hands in his pocket before clearing his throat. “Baekhwajeom Boyfriends may take pictures with/of the customer (using the customer’s photographic device), offer recommendations and opinions, and assist in carrying bags or personal items belonging to the customer.”

Mark almost laughed. “Do you have to memorize these rules?”

Jaehyun’s dimples reappeared. “Rule #8.”

“Since it’s your job then,” Mark said, handing the notebook to Jaehyun. “What other recommendations do you have for me?”

“Don’t let your friends ditch you in the bathroom.”

♡ ♡ ♡

“Hey,” said Renjun, once Mark returned to the first floor. “Did you miss us?”

Mark resisted the urge to punch him. “You guys suck, you know that?”

Jaemin lifted his head from Jeno’s shoulder. “Are you saying that you didn’t like him?”

“Yeah, dude,” Renjun laughed, looking at his phone. “You looked so cute together.”

“Check your Snapchat, Mark,” said Jaemin.

Doing as he was told, Mark opened the notification from “we young,” their group chat, and realized how his friends had spent their last hour. “Were you watching me?”

“It was their idea,” Jeno clarified.

“I can send it to you, if you want,” Jaemin teased.

It was a semi-blurry photo of Jaehyun and him in the bookstore when they were going through notebooks together. Jaehyun was passing Mark the notebook that he now had tucked under his arm. Even in this picture, Mark could see the dimple on the side of Jaehyun’s face. He could also see how dumb he looked, grinning back at him.

“You guys are such freaks,” Mark announced.

Renjun high-fived Jaemin. “Best money I’ve ever spent.”

Their blonde friend put his arm around Mark’s shoulders as they approached the bus stop. “Let’s eat, boys. One more night before classes. Chicken?”

“Hell yeah,” agreed Renjun.

“You guys are paying for me,” declared Mark.

Jaemin pouted. “Do we have to?”

“I’ll pay for all of us,” said Jeno.

The pink-haired boy kissed him on the cheek. “You’re the best, baby.”

“Yeah, you’re the best, baby,” Renjun mocked, trying to kiss Jeno as well, who pushed him away.

“Lessgetit!”

Their bus came just as Mark received a message from Jaemin. The photo had finally been sent to him. Mark opened it, saving it without thinking. He looked down at the journal, then opened the photo again.

  
  
_I’m coming back tomorrow._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...and we're back w/ my 2nd fic!
> 
> i've been sitting on this idea for about a year and finally started working on it during my last week in france this summer. it's crazy to me that I entered europe as I was finishing asadal, then ended up leaving with another fic on the way.
> 
> hope y'all enjoy! expect ~*tentative*~ updates every sunday
> 
> thanks for reading ♡♡♡


	2. rule #4

**♡ Jaehyun ♡**

rule #4: Baekhwajeom Boyfriends are not permitted to spend more than a maximum of one hour with a given customer during a single business day

Jaehyun thought about time more often than he’d like to. When it came to time, it was usually about splitting it up. Skin routines, twice a day. Going to the gym before each day ends. One nice sit-down meal, if he was lucky. Although he graduated from Gyoyook Uninversity last spring, it seemed like he simply replaced his regular schedule of classes with a job and a half, though he wasn’t even being paid for his effort as the head of marketing and outreach at his startup. With Yoohaeng, the name of their startup, having yet to prove successful, that left Jaehyun with the income he brought in from Baekhwajeom. While this wage was surprisingly higher than the majority of part-time jobs that he had come across, this was still a temporary position, similar to how the startup’s current period of losing money was only temporary.

Hopefully.

He wasn’t working at the mall because of the wage alone. There were many other positions that he could take to better serve that purpose. For what it was, Jaehyun was able to meet a variety of potential customers through the boyfriend rental service. Each one provided him with the unconventional, but lucrative chance to spread awareness of his startup, even if it came in the form of a simple Instagram follow or a retweet. To him, face to face communication seemed like the best way that he’d be able to get the break that he needed, especially considering the diverse (and often wealthy) clientele that Baekhwajeom attracted, who wouldn’t mind paying a meager sum for his excellent company. Jaehyun was aware of his charms and how to use them. And he used them very well. He was waiting for the right opportunity to come along—yes, the right _opportunity_ , _not_ the right person.

So, Jaehyun wondered why Mark came to mind during his drive to the office that morning. Dating was not usually something that Jaehyun thought about. Truthfully, he had never been in a serious relationship, though the idea wasn’t something that disinterested him. He was a romantic above all. That, along with his ever-increasing lack of time, may provide explanations for why this has occurred. 

Of course, he had his share of men and women that were interested in him and on occasion, he would entertain them. He kept the specific details very lowkey; he preferred to let others guess what “entertain” meant. Not that Jaehyun Jung would _ever_ brag about _any_ of that either. He was “humble as fuck first, sexy as hell second.” Those were the words of his friend, Johnny Seo, not his own, obviously. _Very humble._

Mark made Jaehyunn think about time. The other day was a very normal day in Jaehyun’s life. The hour he spent with Mark wasn’t particularly strange either, though the circumstances that brought him to the booth were worth a laugh. Jaehyun thought about his four years at Gyoyook and about how they ended last spring. He also thought about how yesterday was the first time he met Mark despite all of the times that they could’ve come across each other while at school. Alas, they met yesterday. Not any earlier or later. It was funny how time worked.

Currently, Yoohaeng’s headquarters was based in the basement of a Gyoyook University bingsoo shop that Jaehyun and his two friends had regularly frequented when they were sleep-deprived business students at Bijineseu. Now, they were sleep-deprived business partners who gratefully split rent payments to the gentle, old owner of the café who treated them, more or less, as his own sons ever since they first came in during their freshman year of undergrad. While the boys’ grand vision centered on streetwear in all pastels, the office lacked this aesthetic, as well as pretty much anything other than a vanity that functioned as a shared workspace, a printer, and extra chairs from upstairs. It was a real sexy job.

“Jaehyun, you’re late,” said Doyoung disapprovingly. He looked at Jaehyun with a frown, hiding the gummy smile that he normally wore. He put a hand through his black hair like he had been working on something, which he usually was as Yoohaeng’s head of production, a job that he took _very_ seriously. Doyoung handled numbers meticulously, for example, the time.

Jaehyun checked his phone. _9:01._ “It was 9:00 when I walked in.” He made himself look seductive as he approached Doyoung. “You know I’m never late.”

Doyoung’s half-serious glare in response was almost comical.

“Good morning, man,” said Johnny, a long-legged gentle giant of a college graduate with dark-brown hair. He shook hands with Jaehyun before going in for the bro hug. “Take anyone home last night?”

“I wouldn’t want to take that role from you,” Jaehyun joked. At the office, Johnny was in charge of design. Consequently, his affinity for fashion lent itself to an appreciation for the finer things in life, including the pretty boys that he liked to bring into his bedroom. “What was the name of the boy that you kicked out, this morning?”

“Ten.”

“I feel like you’ve said that name before.”

Johnny stretched, rolling his shoulders back. “Maybe once.”

“This is the fourth time,” interrupted Doyoung. His tone carried the specific matter-of-factness that only Johnny’s housemate could possess.

“Hey!”

Jaehyun laughed. “I’m so glad that I didn’t sign that lease with you, dude.”

“Could’ve been housemates with the most fashionable guy you know,” said Johnny. He threw both hands behind his head now. “I heard that he’s also the star designer behind Yoohaeng’s entire collection.”

Doyoung ignored him and leaned toward his other partner. “How’s it going on your end, Jaehyun?”

“Not too many updates. Our social media presence has been fairly steady across platforms. Daehwi’s keeping me after close for an employee meeting.”

“Don’t spend too much time there unless you can get all of Baekhwajeom’s clientele to order from us,” Doyoung advised, rolling up the sleeves of his blue cardigan. “Our pre-order to stock ratio is drastically low right now. We’re going to need some actual sales than just followers, if we ever want to break even.”

“I know,” Jaehyun sighed. “I’ve known that since from the start. I have faith in this Baekhwajeom thing though. I _have_ to have faith.”

Johnny put his hands on his friends’ backs. “We’re in this together. We got this. We can’t think about failing; being broke doesn’t look great on me.”

“Now if that isn’t a good enough reason to get back to work, I don’t know what is,” said Doyoung, maybe just a little sarcastically, though this was toned down by that bunny-like smile of his coming into view. Jaehyun smiled back at him.

“That’s what I like to see,” Johnny exclaimed. He reached over to pinch Doyoung’s cheek, eventually reaching his target after an unexpectedly hard fight between the two of them. 

Doyoung’s smile went away as quickly as it came. “Never do that again.”

“Noted.”

“Let’s get back to work,” said Jaehyun.

♡ ♡ ♡

“Jaehyun,” said Seongwu cheerfully from his box. “So, that boy you were with yesterday.”

Jaehyun raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? Which one?”

“The one that wants to hit it,” said Daniel as if that clarified exactly who he was talking about.

“He wants to hit it _bad_ ,” Seongwu added. “His friends thought they were slick for leaving him here like that. He’s cute though, huh?”

_Mark._

Jaehyun smirked. “Why don’t you go for it, Seongwu?”

“He’s more Daniel’s type anyway. Kinda dorky, innocent. He has a hard-on for boys like that.”

Daniel raised his hands in surrender. “I’m not going to compete with Jaehyun.”

“Not like any of us will see him again,” said Jaehyun.

Daniel and Seongwu grinned at each other like they knew something that Jaehyun didn’t. It made him wonder what had happened at Baekhwajeom that day while he was still at Yoohaeng, or what they had seen that he hadn’t.

“Jaehyun,” called Daehwi, walking to the front of his box. Today, his boss wore a sweater that was the same shade of red as his hair. Wearing whatever he wanted was a perk of being in charge. “Are you clocked in?”

“Yes, Daehwi.”

“Lovely. You already have your first customer.”

Today, he was dressed in another white t-shirt, though this one had black block letters printed across the middle. He paired this with a grey plaid flannel and traded in his sweatpants for ripped dark-wash jeans. The way that he looked at Jaehyun was still the same bright-eyed, shy stare from the other day.

“You aren’t wearing your glasses today,” said Jaehyun.

“I have contacts too,” Mark replied. “I like wearing both though.”

Jaehyun didn’t have to turn to know that Daniel and Seongwu were enjoying themselves. He decided to give them more to enjoy.

“You look cute,” Jaehyun said simply. _It’s the truth._ “What are you looking for today?”

“Oh, I,” Mark stumbled, thrown off by the compliment. “It’s my friend, Jaemin’s birthday soon and I have to get him a present and my other friends are too busy to help me look, so I came here.”

“Right.”

“Have fun, you two,” interjected Daehwi.

Jaehyun stepped out of his box, causing the lights around its perimeter to flash obnoxiously. This was one of the more annoying parts of his job.

“Does that happen every time, Jaehyun?”

“ _Every_ time.” They started walking towards the center of the mall. “What does your friend like?

“Coffee.”

“What kind of coffee?”

“Like _coffee_ coffee,” answered Mark. “It’s disgusting.”

Jaehyun was curious. “What is it like?”

“Large iced americano, no water, with four extra shots of espresso. Eight espresso shots in total.”

“What the fuck?”

Mark laughed. “He used to drink that six times a day, but now he _‘only’_ drinks it twice a day.”

“Is he okay?”

“We don’t question it anymore.”

“Eight shots?” Jaehyun recoiled trying to imagine the taste in his mouth. “What are you thinking of getting him then? New taste buds? New liver?”

“Espresso machine. If he’s gonna kill his body with that, he should at least be saving money.”

Jaehyun smiled softly. “You’re funny.”

“You too.”

On the second floor of Baekhwajeom was an electronics and appliances store, aptly and extremely creatively named “e-store (in all lowercase letters).” The interior was modelled after 8-bit arcade games, with pixelated shelves and made-up mascots winking from all corners while workers ran around in uniform hot pink polos and khakis. Screens of every size displayed new, popular movies and dramas and music videos and—

“Games!”

Mark excitedly ran over to a TV where the Nintendo Switch was set up with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. He held a controller in his hands, staring longingly. His mouth was agape when Jaehyun caught his attention again. “Can we play?”

Jaehyun took the other controller. “You’re going to lose.”

“Bet.”

At character select, Mark moved his cursor to Isabelle from _Animal Crossings_ , along with a blue ATV designed to look like a teddy bear.

“I look cool as hell,” he said, proudly.

“Sure,” said Jaehyun, stifling his laughter. He scrolled through the list of characters, pausing on Princess Peach in a cat suit.

“Yo, you can’t pick Cat Peach. People will think you’re a furry.”

“You’re playing as a literal dog.”

“Yeah, not a human in a dog suit,” Mark explained. “There’s a difference. Everyone likes Isabelle too.”

Jaehyun moved from Cat Peach to regular Peach in her motorcyclist outfit. “Maybe I wanted to be a furry. ‘You seem like you like yaoi,’” he said, doing his best impression of Jay from the bookstore. He also chose the same teddy bear ATV as Mark did.

“You want what I have.”

“To lose?”

Mark rolled his eyes. He picked their first course: Rainbow Road. Truthfully, Jaehyun didn’t have time to play games like these in awhile, but it definitely seemed like Mark was able to practice fairly often, accelerating straight to the front of the group after the “GO!” as Jaehyun immediately fell off of the course.

“You’re really good at this,” Mark lied.

“I have a job, y’know,” defended Jaehyun. “I can’t play games all the time.”

“You work at the mall.”

_I’m gonna beat his ass._

The two of them became steely focused, not saying anything more than playful taunts and laughing in response. Mark led the race in lap 1, then lap 2, though Jaehyun was slowly advancing from last place. When lap 3 came and the music sped up, Jaehyun was determined not to lose.

“Do I get anything if I win, Jaehyun?”

“Don’t worry about that happening.”

Despite Jaehyun’s trash-talking, Mark’s victory seemed inevitable until a cpu playing as none other than Cat Peach sent a blue shell towards Mark.

“Fuck this.”

They watched as the shell collided with Mark, followed up by a red shell from Yoshi, rendering Isabelle unable to move. Adrenaline rushed through Jaehyun. Seeing his only chance to beat Mark, Jaehyun carefully let go of the green shell he had been holding on to and fired it at Isabelle’s rear. _POW!_

“NO!”

“No way,” shouted Jaehyun, pounding the acceleration as his character passed Mark’s and crossed the finish line. _First place!_ He jointly cheered with Princess Peach, who celebrated their win on screen. By the time that Isabelle had recovered, Mark slid over the finish line at not 2nd, but 3rd, passed by Peach’s feline counterpart.

His mouth was wide open along with his eyes. “Best ⅔,” Mark pouted, pushing his lips out at Jaehyun.

“If you’re okay with losing again.”

They played like that for awhile. Who won and who lost flipped back and forth, however, the outcome was never too important beyond a few seconds. Countless rounds occurred before Jaehyun remembered why they were there to begin with: to find an espresso machine.

“I think it’s this way, Mark,” advised Jaehyun.

As the younger boy followed, he stopped by a set of pastel pink headphones with little cat ears attached at the top. Jaehyun found how easily distracted Mark was to be rather endearing. It was hard to turn him down.

“Put these on,” said Mark.

“Make me.”

Mark pouted again, deciding this may be a challenge that he’d have to give up when Jaehyun put them on himself.

“I think the other customers would really like it if you bought these,” said Mark, pleased.

Jaehyun looked at the absurd reflection of himself in these headphones and his suit. “I should just quit and sell my bath water now.”

“There really is something for everyone out there, huh?”

♡ ♡ ♡

“I’m sure we’ll all use it,” said Mark, referring to the espresso machine that he was finally checking out at the register. Jaehyun watched him easily take out his debit card and hand it to the cashier. He was somewhat impressed that Mark would spend so much money on his friend. The machine that they chose wasn’t incredibly overpriced, but Mark was just a college student. He must’ve saved up for this. It was a sweet gesture. “Thanks for helping me pick one”

“He’ll like it,” Jaehyun assured him, carrying the bag with the box inside of it.

“I’ll wrap it up later to surprise him,” said Mark excitedly.

“What could be inside?”

“100% a bike.”

The two of them laughed together. Walking out of the store, Mark seemed shier than when they entered. He crossed his hands over each other and avoided direct eye contact with Jaehyun. The floor seemed to interest him very much.

“Yo,” Mark started, shaky. “Have you like eaten dinner or something yet today?”

“I haven’t had any time yet.”

“Ah, well, would you like maybe want to go somewhere after this then? With me, haha.”

Jaehyun had never heard a “haha” this awkward before. His lips turned upwards.

“I actually have to go to an employee meeting after this.” _Shit._ He suddenly remembered to check his phone. An hour had already passed. He had two missed calls from Daehwi. The timer must’ve gone off while they were busy fucking around in the store. “I’m late.”

Mark look concerned. “Oh, okay, you should go then! I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

Jaehyun looked down at his phone again. He was just a few minutes over, though he had never been late at the booth before. “I’m sorry.”

“Run! You can still be a little late.”

“Can I see your phone?”

The other boy seemed confused, but he offered it to him. Taking it, Jaehyun searched for his contacts app and began typing his number. He returned the phone to its owner. “I can’t do dinner tonight, but let me know if another time would work for you.”

Confusion still lingered on Mark’s face, though his current expression bordered on both surprise and joy. “Yeah.”

“Tell your friend to stop drinking that shit, okay?”

“Yeah,” said Mark, his eyes gleaming.

That was the last thing that they said to each other before Jaehyun sprinted downstairs to the Boyfriends’ booth where everyone else was already gathered around Daehwi’s desk. Their boss was sitting criss-cross on top of his table when Jaehyun snuck behind Seongwu and Daniel.

“Hey, dude,” said Seongwu quietly. “Were you busy getting your dick wet?”

Jaehyun thought of something to quickly shut him up.

“Not yet.”

“What?!”

“Jaehyun,” announced Daehwi, calmly glancing right in his direction. “What’s rule #4 from the employee guidelines?”

He sighed. “Baekhwajeom Boyfriends are not permitted to spend more than a maximum of one hour with a given customer during a single business day,” he recited without emotion.

“Amazing, so at least you’re aware.”

“I’m sorry. It won’t ever happen again.”

“Perfect,” his boss smiled tightly. “It is the first time that you’ve ever been late, so I can’t punish you too harshly. That being said, I was just about to explain to everybody about the event that you all will be present at this Friday. Baekhwajeom has just reached out to me this morning to confirm that they would like our services at the fanmeeting that will happen in the mall’s center for the up-and-coming model, Chungha Kim.”

“HOT,” someone yelled.

Daehwi pretended not to notice. “Her team has requested that Baekhwajeom enlists us to assist Miss Kim with anything that she may need or desire since you are all familiar with all that Baekhwajeom has to offer. Additionally, one of you, according to her own choice, will be appointed to be her personal guide around the facility during the time that she will be spending here. This decision will be made tomorrow when she will be here in-person to meet us, so I expect everybody to both look and be at their very best and to be _on time_ for her arrival.” He looked directly at Jaehyun when he said this. “She and some members of her team will be here at 9 am, an hour before the mall opens. Are there any questions?”

The Boyfriends’ silence provided their collective answer.

“Wonderful. Get some rest.”

“Thank you, Daehwi.”

As the men made their exits, Jaehyun heard Daehwi call him back to his desk.

“Yes, Daehwi,” he answered politely.

“Since you’ve done such good work here so far, I don’t have anything too unreasonable for you to do. However, I’ve just hired a new Boyfriend and I would like for you to be in charge of training him, making sure that he memorizes the entire handbook, and is able to get around the mall by himself by the time that Miss Kim arrives tomorrow. I will give you my key, so you and him can proceed to training in the morning.”

Jaehyun nodded, taking in his instructions. “What time did you tell the new boyfriend that training would begin.”

“5 am,” said Daehwi, not missing a beat. He took the keys from his pocket and passed them to Jaehyun. “Rest well, Jaehyun. Big day ahead of you.”

“Thank you, Daehwi. Good night.”

Jaehyun paused to take a breath and think about the day to come when he received a message from an unknown number.

*****-***-****** : yo, this is mark lee

He put his phone away, taking another breath. Inhale. Exhale. A passionate drive in Jaehyun started up again. Although his new responsibilities became already stacked within the past half-hour alone, instead of giving in, he saw so many new chances to succeed. With Yoohaeng, with Chungha, with Mark. Jaehyun had never thought about time so intensely.

But he was going to make time for it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here's the first chapter from Jaehyun's POV! as always, thank y'all so much for reading and please stay tuned until next sunday for chapter 3! ♡


	3. rule #6

**♡ Mark ♡**

rule #6: Baekhwajeom Boyfriends are on a first-come, first-serve basis

**Renjun** : you’re going to the mall again, dude??

**Jeno** : Isn’t this the third day in a row?

**Jaemin** : mark wants to give his right hand a break lmao

_Renjun laughed at “mark wants to give his right hand a break”_

_Mark disliked “mark wants to give his right hand a break”_

**Renjun** : he could try the left first

**Jaemin** : has jaehyun hit it yet

**Mark** : no

**Mark** : but he did give me his number

_Jeno emphasized “but he did give me his number”_

**Jaemin** : skkskskkskskksks

**Jaemin** : wHat

**Renjun** : holy fuck

**Jaemin** : i’m screaming

**Jeno** : Deadass?

**Jaemin** : i—

_Jaemin is typing…_

Mark left it at that.

To be honest, Mark hadn’t mentioned the phone number to his friends yet because he was worried that he would jinx it ( _and Jaehyun hadn’t even texted him back_ ). What “it” was exactly, Mark didn’t know, but “it” must’ve been something because he was on the way to Baekhwajeom for _yes, the third day in a row_ , bringing two cups of Jaemin’s coffee recipe to share. Part of him wondered if he was being desperate. _Is this what someone desperate would think?_ He definitely didn’t know what he was doing. At all. But he tried to put his faith in the universe. _Things would turn out well...because it’d be really lame, if they didn’t._

“Mark Lee,” greeted Daehwi. “Back again?” He looked at the two drinks in his hands. “Thirsty?”

 _Embarrassing._ “Haha, yeah. I came to see—”

“Jaehyun is occupied for the day,” Daehwi said, cutting him off.

“Oh.”

“Would you like me to leave a message for him?”

“Ah, it’s okay,” Mark said quietly. He was sure that his disappointment was evident, if not by his expression, then by his voice. “I’ll just get going.”

“Well, since you’re here, would you mind doing me a favor?”

Mark tried to avert his gaze. “Uh.”

“Lunch is on me.”

“Okay...what is it?”

Daehwi turned his head to the side. “Lucas!”

From the other side of the booth, a tall brunette boy walked in, wearing a simple white button down with a black tie and matching pants. His proportions were enviable. The shirt fit his broad shoulders just right while his legs seemed to go on forever. Each of his steps radiated natural confidence, which translated to the runway-ready expression on his face. When he saw Mark, his pout quickly dissolved into a perfect, but goofy smile.  
“Hello, I am Lucas,” he said, staring into Mark’s eyes. Lucas’s eyes were big and brown and expressive. The way he looked at Mark made him feel like a teenage girl at a fansign. His deep-voiced laughter was even goofier than his smile. “SO cute, hahaha!”

Mark’s face brightened instantly. “Haha, thanks.”

“Lucas is our newest recruit,” Daehwi explained. “It’s his first day here, so he’s still getting acquainted with the protocol and environment of Baekhwajeom. Since you’ve been here _so_ often _(did he have to say it like that?)_ , Mark, I’ll treat you both to lunch if you wouldn’t mind going around the mall with Lucas as a trial before he’s officially able to be rented by customers. I would just need you to fill out a feedback form afterward for future reference.”

Mark wasn’t entirely convinced. “How do I know that this will be worth my time?”

In that moment, Daehwi nearly resembled the Mona Lisa, with her unreadable half-smile. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a black card, offering it to Mark. _“Baekhwajeom Business.”_

Mark was sure that he probably looked just like Lucas in front of him, whose eyes widened at this sight.

“LESSGETIT,” they shouted simultaneously. Lucas turned his head away while he searched Mark’s face, both of them pleasantly surprised by what had just happened. This lasted a few seconds before Lucas turned away completely, breaking out into laughter.

“Be back in two hours,” Daehwi instructed. “No later.”

Lucas, nodded, waving his hand at Mark to follow along. “Let’s go up, Mark!”

“Shouldn’t you be the one going where I want to go?”

“I’m practicing,” Lucas grinned, slowing down to match Mark’s pace before they stepped onto the escalator. “What’s that?”

“Oh,” said Mark, tracing Lucas’s gaze to the cups of coffee in his hands. “It’s my friend, Jaemin’s, coffee order. Large iced americano, no water, with four extra shots of espresso,” he recited.

“Why do you have two?”

“Ah, well—”

“Is one for Jaehyun?”

Mark thought about how much Lucas could’ve heard from his conversation with Daehwi. “Yea—”

“Rule #14: Baekhwajeom Boyfriends may not give or receive gifts from the customer,” said Lucas, apparently proud of himself. “Can I try it?”

“Uh...sure,” Mark replied, not bringing up the rule again. He handed a cup to Lucas, who brought it up to his face, staring at the dark liquid through the plastic before bringing the straw to his lips. His entire face scrunched up once the bitter drink hit his tongue.

“That tastes like shit.”

“I know,” laughed Mark. “I told Jaehyun about it when I was here yesterday, so I thought it’d be funny for him to actually try it.”

Lucas stopped as if he had solved a puzzle. “Are you two dating?”

“No—”

“But you want to date him?”

Something about Lucas made Mark want to tell him the truth. “I mean, yeah, I do.”

“Oh my god,” he exclaimed, looking back at Mark as they headed to the third floor. Mark wondered how big his eyes could get. “Jaehyun was the one who trained me this morning. It was so early. He’s very smart. Very cool guy. Very sexy, almost as sexy as me.”

Mark liked how easily Lucas seemed to speak about everything and how entertaining it was to listen to him speak. He knew he already liked having his company. “What time did you start training?”

“5 am.”

“Are you kidding?”

“NO,” said Lucas instantly. “I had to get ready at 4 because it’s my first day and I couldn’t be late. Daehwi told me that Jaehyun got in some trouble for being late yesterday.”

Mark smiled and got off of the escalator. “That was because of me.”

“Oh my god.” Lucas got closer to Mark. “Did you—”

“We didn’t do anything,” Mark said quickly. “I promise.”

Lucas got closer still. “Did you want to?”

“I’m not going to say anything here, dude.”

“Oh my gOD.” 

Before he knew it, Mark had told Lucas about the past two days that he (un)willingly spent at Baekhwajeom with Jaehyun. His boyfriend for the next two hours was an excellent audience. Lucas seemed to enjoy himself too, giggling and clapping at his favorite parts of Mark’s story. He reacted both with his voice, as well as his endless array of facial expressions. Mark appreciated being able to talk about his feelings for Jaehyun to someone else, or, more accurately, someone else that wouldn’t make fun of him like his friends inevitably would’ve. Being with Lucas was different from being with Jaehyun. It wasn’t necessarily better or worse. Lucas was easier for Mark to talk to. At least, Mark wasn’t nervous around him. 

“So,” Lucas continued, once Mark’s story ended. “Are you going to ask him out?”

“I don’t know. I wanted to see him today and feel it out, y’know?”

“Waiting for the right time?”

Mark thought this over. “I guess. I’ve never asked anyone out though.”

“Try it on me.”

“What?”

Lucas tried to make himself serious and stared at Mark, badly stifling bouts of laughter. “I’ll be Jaehyun.”

“You’re so bad at this,” said Mark, almost laughing too, in response.

“Hi, Mark.”

“Hi, Jaehyun.”

“Your ass looks so fat today, bro.”

The two of them couldn’t stay serious for more than three seconds.

“Why would Jaehyun _ever_ say that?”

“Because your ass looks so fat today,” Lucas defended, eyes-wide. “You’ll never date him, at this rate!”

Mark couldn’t control his laughter. “Dude, that was the worst impression.”

Lucas straightened his tie. “I’m too good-looking to pretend I’m someone else.” He proceeded to flex his muscles, making the white fabric of his sleeves cling to his arms. _Such a show-off_.

“You’re cute, I’ll give you that.”

“ _Cute_?” Lucas put his hands on his hips, evidently offended by this comment. He walked right in front of Mark so that their faces were inches apart. He looked down at Mark’s lips before moving to his eyes. “Take that back.”

Mark shied away. “Okay, okay, you’re not cute.”

“You wanted to kiss me, huh?”

“Shut up, dude.”

“If you’re lucky, I’ll give it to you later.”

Mark would’ve thought of something to say, if his mind hadn’t blanked upon seeing Jaehyun a floor below them. He was dressed in practically the same outfit as Lucas, except the collar of his white shirt was banded, with two loops that allowed a tied black ribbon to slip through. He looked good, as always, but Mark was paying more attention to the girl he was with.

She wore her waist-length blonde hair straight, so that her earrings, sets of tiered pearls that dripped down to her neck, could be seen by anyone that passed by. Her lips were a peachy color, not quite as red as her manicure was. Most of all, she walked in a way that was so gracefully charismatic. Her arms swayed elegantly from her big, short-sleeved corduroy dress. Even from one floor above, Mark noticed how the sparkles around her eyes made them glitter like the small pearl flowers that were scattered across the black fabric of her garment. Jaehyun looked at her in a similar way, with his eyes and smile glittering.

“Lucas,” Mark started, still focusing on the others, “Daehwi said Jaehyun isn’t working today, right?”

“None of us are,” answered Lucas. “I forget why. But no rentals are happening today.”

_So, Jaehyun is with this girl on his own time. Because he wants to be._

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m okay.”

Lucas squinted at Jaehyun and the girl below the railing. Something made him remember the coffee in his hand because he wound his arm back and began to aim.

“Yo, you can’t throw that at them, dude!”

Lucas paused. “Who said I was aiming for the girl too? She didn’t do anything wrong. She doesn’t deserve that. She’s just on her hot girl shit. You should know better, Mark.” He went back to his target. “This one is for Jaehyun for leading you on!”

“I mean, he was just doing his job... _really_ well.”

“I got you, Mark. Don’t worry.”

“Wait,” Mark begged. “Isn’t he your co-worker though? You said he was cool.”

The usually-smiling boy turned serious. “You’re my friend. I don’t owe Jaehyun anything.”

Mark went to stop Lucas, who stopped on his own. He lowered the cup and searched for the pair over the railing. 

“They’re gone,” he pouted.

“It’s okay, man,” said Mark, thinking about what to do next. “I really appreciate it though.” He ended up patting Lucas on the back. One. Two.

Lucas suddenly threw an arm around Mark’s shoulders. “I told you, I got you.” He took another sip of his drink and gagged. “Still tastes like shit.”

“Are you hungry? We can go get lunch with Daehwi’s card.”

“Do you want to eat?”

Mark drank his coffee. The taste didn’t bother him as much anymore. “I kinda lost my appetite, to be honest.”

“Who said we have to use the card only for food?”

Mark blinked. “What else would we use it for?”

“I have an idea,” announced Lucas, his usual expression returning to his face. “Come on!”

As usual for that day, Mark went where Lucas took him. Jaehyun either must’ve trained him well, or Lucas must’ve been very determined to find something, because he seemed like he knew exactly where he was going. They stopped at the carousel across from the food court, an extravagantly illuminated attraction filled with kids and their caretakers. Ornate designs of golden roses were painted around the tiffany blue top while silver accented the rest of the carousel, from the poles upon which the cutesy animals depended, in addition to the moulding, flooring, and the frames of the mirrors that decorated the central base of the ride.

“I haven’t been on one of these since I was a kid,” said Mark.

“That’ll make it more fun,” Lucas said cheerfully. “I’ll buy the tickets. Pick any animal that you’d like.”

He went around, browsing the available options. Deer, white rabbit, tiger. The animals were arranged in rows of three around the carousel, though they were positioned at different levels. All of them came with intricately sculpted saddles in various shapes and colors to appeal to any child (or slightly sad college student) that may come across nthem.

“My friends say I look like this,” Mark said, scrunching his face to mimic the expression of a baby lion on the outer third of the carousel. Mark lowered himself onto the animal’s aqua saddle. He didn’t have time to stop feeling silly when Lucas joined him on the animal, sitting right behind him.

“Uhh,” stammered Mark. “I don’t think there’s enough space on this one.”

“I got you, Mark,” said Lucas, squeezing in against him. The taller boy wrapped his arms around the other’s waist. “Lessgetit!”

Mark couldn’t tell exactly why he was embarrassed. “Is this allowed?”

Apparently, the carousel attendant either approved or didn’t care because the ride started anyway, prompting the kids (and Lucas) to cheer. Somewhere behind them, a little kid screamed as they went up and down and around. There was a part of Mark that wanted to scream too—for another reason.

“Isn’t this fun, Mark?”

“LESSGETIT,” Mark echoed, letting himself enjoy the ride.

The two of them together probably looked so wack to anyone on or off the carousel, but Mark didn’t mind anymore. He glanced at their reflection in the carousel’s mirrors. Lucas was laughing, holding closely onto Mark, who honestly, seemed like he was having a good time too. Lucas was a lot bigger than he was, which made the way that Lucas hold on to him look kinda funny, but this contrast felt weirdly pleasant. It was friendly and comfortable and easy.

Lucas made things like this easy.

When the ride came to a stop, Lucas’s arms still remained.

“You wanna go again, Mark?”

Mark looked back at him. “We’re picking a bigger animal.”

“I’ll be right back,” agreed Lucas.

Instead of an animal, Mark sat down at a sofa that was actually meant for two, taking up two of the spaces in that row of the carousel. The plush seat was already more relaxing than the baby lion had been, though Mark was unsure if he missed how close Lucas and him had been or not when they were on the saddle. 

Lucas sat down next to him. “Well, this is no fun!”

“I thought it’d be comfier,” Mark disagreed.

“I guess we can talk more here then.” Lucas grinned. “I bought us ten more rides.”

“Ten?!”

He felt a familiar arm around his shoulders. “Let’s talk then!”

So, they went around like that for ten more rounds, getting to know each other in motion. Mark told him about other details about his life beyond the mall, from school and classes to his friends and his apartment on campus at Gyoyook. It felt like they were just sitting by themselves, despite being in the center of Baekhwajeom, surrounded by people. Time passed by so easily when they were together. Not even the silence between them ever felt uncomfortable.

“Wow,” exclaimed Lucas. “It’s already over.”

“I’m not riding one of these again for a _long_ time,” said Mark, relieved.

His friend smacked him on the back. “Are you feeling better?”

“I am.”

“I’m happy.”

At the exit, the attendant gestured to a screen. On it, was the two of them from their first ride on the carousel. Lucas was embracing Mark as he laughed, with his head by Mark’s shoulders. Mark stared happily at him in the picture. They looked like they were even closer together in the photo.

“6000 won for two,” said the attendant.

“Yes, please,” Lucas declared, without consulting Mark. He caught onto Mark’s surprise. “Remember. Daehwi’s paying,” he said, waving the black card between his middle and index fingers.

The attendant prompted Lucas to insert his card, completing the transaction via the iPad at the stand. A little white machine came to life, buzzing as it slid out one, then two, Polaroid versions of Mark and Lucas’s photo.

“So cute,” Lucas said, examining every edge of the little picture in his big hands. “Hey!”

Mark took the photo from Lucas and turned it upside-down on the stand, so that the white space faced upwards. Borrowing a pen from the attendant, he wrote down his phone number in blue ink, signing it “Mark Lee :)” before giving the picture back to its owner, who read it to himself and smiled.

“Am I going to get a good score from you on my feedback form for Daehwi?”

“I’ll give you extra credit too.”

Lucas tilted his head at Mark. “Why is that?”

“Because your ass looks _so_ fat today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be the first to admit that I miss Mark x Lucas interactions.
> 
> I hope y'all are enjoying this fic as much as I've been enjoying the time I've spent writing it so far! I feel a lot more comfortable with how I'm writing this time around on my second fic and I think that shows. I was very excited to introduce Lucas into the story and I'm really happy with the results, so I promise that y'all will be seeing a lot more of him in the chapters to come. as always, thank you for reading. see what happens next on next Sunday!
> 
> lessgetit ♡


	4. rule #7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place during the same day as the previous chapter, but in Jaehyun's POV

**♡ Jaehyun ♡**

rule #7: Baekhwajeom Boyfriends may not be reserved by the customer in advance

  
  


_ 4 in the fucking morning. _

While Jaehyun suspected that Daehwi could’ve given him a worse punishment, nothing seemed worse than waking up to his alarm at  _ 4 in the fucking morning _ . He dragged himself to the sink, half-asleep, splashing cold water on his face just to stay awake. The rest of his morning routine went like this, dragging on for twice as long as it usually would have taken him, though he put in extra effort into each step today. When he unlocked his phone, the red notifications bubble at the corner of his messages app already numbered in the double digits. He put the phone down. There was no time for distractions. Not today. Jaehyun looked at himself in the mirror, taking two strands of his hair out of place so that they looked casually strewn about. Simple. Effective. Competent. Not only did Jaehyun have to make it up to Daehwi for his tardiness, but he also had to be chosen as Chungha’s guide. It was the chance that he had been waiting for, ever since he began working at Baekhwajeom. It was his chance to leave Baekhwajeom behind.

First, he had to take care of this training.

When Jaehyun arrived to the Boyfriends’ booth at a crisp 4:55, he was surprised to see that his newest co-worker was already standing there. He was about the same height as Jaehyun, if not, maybe just an inch taller, but he seemed younger than him by a year or two. _ He’s good-looking.  _ Of course, that was the most important, yet unwritten, requirement of the job. You weren’t ever interviewed over the phone for this position.

“Hello, Jaehyun,” he greeted first, extending his hand toward Jaehyun. “I’m the newest worker, Lucas. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Good morning, Lucas. It’s nice to meet you too.” Jaehyun assessed Lucas more closely. Big eyes. Boyish smile.  _ He’ll do just fine.  _ “Have you seen your box yet?”

“Box?”

Jaehyun smiled. “You’ll get used to it.” He motioned to a pale yellow box at the end, with #16 written on the heart affixed to the side. “You’re probably going to be the last one hired for awhile, unless someone quits or Daehwi can figure out a way to expand further.”

“Whoa.” Lucas was curious, examining every edge and lightbulb and detail of his box. “Can I go in?”

“Sure.”

Lucas stepped in as if he was a child going into another world. He wasn’t quite like Jaehyun’s other employees, even when he was dressed in practically the same manner as Jaehyun was. He was excitable and youthful, but had the well-proportioned figure of a men’s fashion model. Jaehyun could see why Daehwi hired him over anyone else. Daehwi was smart.

“Lucas, are you ready to start going over the rules?”

“Yes, I am,” he said, grinning. “I practiced them all night.”

“Did you get any sleep?”

He kept grinning. “No.”

“Sounds ready to me,” Jaehyun agreed. “I think that the most efficient way of doing this would be me saying the number of a rule, then you’ll answer with what each rule is.”

“Lessgetit.”

“We’ll start off easy. Rule #1?”

Lucas nodded passionately. “Baekhwajeom Boyfriends is  _ NOT  _ a dating service.”

“Rule #2?”

“Physical touch is  _ FORBIDDEN _ .” His voice emphasized these parts of the rules. “ _ NEVER _ touch anyone. I got it.”

“Good. #7?”

Jaehyun could tell that Lucas was thinking it over. “Uhh.” He put a finger in between his lips while his eyes scanned the top of his box. “Oh! Baekhwajeom Boyfriends are on a first-come, first-serve basis.”

“Close. That’s #6, but it’s very similar to #7. Rule #7: Baekhwajeom Boyfriends may  _ NOT _ be reserved by the customer, in advance,” he said slowly, stressing the “not” like Lucas would’ve.

“I like the way that you said that,” Lucas approved. “Very cool.”

“You too, man.”

“How long have you been working here?”

Jaehyun took a breath. “Longer than I’d want to. It’ll have been a year since I started, by the end of August.”

“You ready to leave?”

“Absolutely,” he answered, without a doubt. “Don’t get me wrong. For what the work is and what the pay is, it’s a great job. It’s definitely not a career.”

Lucas nodded twice. “It pays the bills, huh.”

“Why’d you decide to apply?”

“It pays the bills,” he said calmly. “Daehwi told me yesterday that you have a start-up.”

Jaehyun nodded. “Streetwear. What are your plans after you leave this place behind?”

“Modelling.” A smile grew on Lucas’s face. “I’m just waiting for my chance.”

Jaehyun turned towards the center of the mall, tilting his head at Lucas. 

“Here’s to that.”

♡ ♡ ♡

“Looking good, Jaehyun,” said Minhyun, the slender, Prince Charming of his co-workers. His almond-shaped eyes and cool demeanor heightened this appearance.

Jaehyun brightened. “Where’s Daniel?”

“Girl problems,” laughed Seongwu.

The Baekhwajeom Boyfriends—all clad in uniform variations of white shirt, black pants, black tie (at their boss’s request)—stood facing Daehwi’s desk, awaiting the arrival of their superior and their special guest. The men were rarely altogether like this. That is, as all fifteen—now sixteen—of them. Still, they were quieter than usual, behaving themselves.

“Good morning, boys,” greeted Daehwi, wearing a button-up and ribbon, both made of black silk. Chanel’s unmistakable double-c logo was set in gold on around his collar. Despite his age, Daehwi had developed an understanding of how to present himself. Today, he parted his red hair down the middle so that his bangs cascaded around his sideburns. “How are we all today?”

“Good,” the Boyfriends answered in near-perfect unison.

Seongwu brightened. “How are you today, Daehwi?”

“Even better since you asked, Seongwu. There’s nothing that I love more than having my ass kissed in the morning,” Daehwi said, scrunching his face. “Our guest should be here any minute. We represent the entire brand of Baekhwajeom. You must be on your absolute best behavior. Do you all understand?”

“Yes, Daehwi.”

“One more thing that I have to mention: Miss Kim, her team, and I have already decided who will be personally assisting her at the event tomorrow.” Murmurs of unfairness and surprise began arising at the mention of this statement, to which Daehwi sat still. “If I may finish, your roles for the event will be announced when Miss Kim joins us soon. I don’t expect to witness anything beyond your continued patience.”

_ Is he being serious? _

The emerging stream of less than favorable thoughts that flooded Jaehyun’s mind came to a still with the entrance of the aforementioned special guest. She looked exactly like her pictures online, though it was immediately evident that no still shot could’ve captured the way that Chungha was in front of you. The dress that she wore perhaps would’ve looked stiff, had it been on any other model, but she walked as if the dark corduroy was flourishing around her. Jaehyun could tell that all eyes were on her for a variety of reasons and one of the same: her presence. She went to Daehwi, exchanging a hug like they were old friends before she turned to address the Boyfriends.

“Hello, everyone. It’s very nice to meet you all,” she said, sounding neither arrogant or unapproachable. “My name is Chungha.”

They bowed their heads respectfully to her, an action that she, as well as the assistant who flanked her, reflected. She pushed her straight blonde hair back behind her ears, looking to Daehwi to make his announcements. 

“As you all know, Baekhwajeom Fashion Centre is honored to be hosting the fanmeeting for Chungha tomorrow afternoon, and Baekhwajeom Boyfriends are incredibly grateful to have the opportunity of assisting her and her team in ensuring that the event goes as smoothly as possible. With that being said, I have assigned roles to each of you, regarding the schedule of the event. You will be split into groups, with the exception of Lucas, who will be assisting me, and the Boyfriend who has been chosen to guide Chungha for her time here.”

“Jaehyun,” Daehwi called.

“Yes, Daehwi.” Jaehyun approached Daehwi at his desk, honestly in disbelief at the situation, but trying not to let this emotion show through.

“I trust that you will treat our guest with the utmost respect and service. Please show Chungha the best of what Baekhwajeom has to offer.”

“Yes, Daehwi.”

Jaehyun bowed his head toward Chungha, who turned to speak to her assistant, a short, baby-faced girl with straight brown bangs. “I’ll be fine on my own, Yoojung. Let me know later about how Daehwi is planning to structure the event.” She shifted her attention to her new assistant. “Shall we?”

“Of course.”

He led her away from the stand, listening as the sound of Daehwi’s instructions faded into the distance. Chungha broke her silence first.

“I used to come here a lot,” she said wistfully.

“Really?”

“Mhm. Back when I was studying at Gyoyook.”

This was something that Jaehyun didn’t know about. His mind went to the Gyoyook University student that he met earlier in the week.  _ Mark. _ “When did you graduate?”

Chungha’s expression was halfway between a smile and nothing at all. “I didn’t. Instead, I transferred to the Areumdaum Institute of Design and Merchandising. I graduated from there with my degree in Beauty Business and Marketing last year.”

“Did you always think you would’ve been able to develop your own cosmetic line?”

“I’ve always  _ wanted _ to. Being  _ able _ to didn’t come as easily.” 

They passed by a cosmetics store, where the windows showcased full-size banners of Chungha in her signature glittery eyes, wearing a red lip that matched her high-low red dress, a flowy, poppy-patterned garment that seemed to ripple like a koi fish. “BYULHARANG,” the name of her makeup brand ran across each banner in an ombré of green, blue, and purple. The two of them stood in front of the window display as Chungha looked herself over.

“I think that Instagram posts or YouTube videos could’ve continued to sustain me with free products or even brand deals, but actually owning your own brand is an entirely different concept. It’s one thing to have followers and another thing to have followers who will actually buy what you create. That’s not being an ‘influencer,’ she said, adding quotation marks with her fingers. “ _ That’s _ doing business. I know that there are some people who recognize me that think that my survival is based solely off of selfies or hauls or beauty tutorials. I’m not trying to necessarily prove those people wrong. This is something that I’m proving to myself.”

Jaehyun noticed how the expression in Chungha’s eyes changed when she talked about her career. They were driven and focused and unstoppable. If anything, it was the makeup she wore that made her stare even sharper.

“I’m guessing that tomorrow’s fanmeeting must correspond with business as well,” said Jaehyun. 

“It’ll be a day to meet and thank the people who have supported me enough for me to reach this point,” Chungha explained. “And it’ll be an opportunity to yes, promote what I’ve been working on for years, as those who come will likely be well aware of.” She glanced behind her shoulder. “Let’s go up.”

Chungha led Jaehyun this time toward the escalators, demonstrating her own familiarity with Baekhwajeom, in spite of the time that has passed since her last visit.

“You seem to know your way around without me,” said Jaehyun.

Her lips curved upwards at her success. “An eye for detail is something that has benefitted me throughout my life. It’s what’ll help me decide what my next project will be as well.”

“Do you currently have any ideas?”

She stepped off on the second floor, glancing at Jaehyun behind her once again. “Perhaps you could tell me.”

Jaehyun joined her. “What do you mean exactly?”

“If you went to school at Gyoyook, I’m guessing that you must’ve graduated from Bijiniseu, right?”

“You’d be correct.”

“I applied to transfer into Bijiniseu after my first year.”

“How did that turn out?”

Chungha laughed. “I’m sure you could take a guess.”

“I suppose that was their loss.”

“I suppose you’re right,” she agreed. “Is the Teahouse still there on the third floor?”

Her guide nodded, getting on the next escalator up. The third floor was where most of the mall’s more unique amenities were located. Maybe Spring Teahouse occupied a space at the opposite end of the Boyfriends’ Booth, two levels up. It was popular for its peacefulness, containing an outdoor balcony that was private from the rest of the mall. Along with this were the food court, where Jaehyun tried not to spend too many of his lunch breaks at, a clear view of the glass atrium at the top of the building, and of course, the carousel. 

Usually crowded with children who hadn’t yet reached their double-digits, today was no exception. The area around the carousel became surrounded by (mostly excitable) noise from the five year-olds on-board. It always provoked a silent chuckle from Jaehyun to see people near his age ride the carousel. This felt slightly immature to him, though it wasn’t completely without its charms. Two college-aged boys were acting the fool on this round, apparently engaged in very entertaining conversation with each other. Jaehyun squinted. His smile faded.

_ Is that—? _

While Jaehyun did leave before he heard Daehwi give his instructions to the rest of the Boyfriends, he certainly didn’t expect that Lucas “personally assisting” Daehwi would involve him practically dry humping Mark Lee on a baby lion. Jaehyun mentally took note of the rules from their protocol that this was breaking. Mark and Lucas looked... _ close _ .  _ Did he and Mark look like that when they were together?  _ He wondered at what point that the two of them must’ve met, or if they already knew each other before.  _ I didn’t train Lucas to do that _ , he thought to himself, half-amused and the other half, he wasn’t quite sure about. He went through the unanswered texts left in his inbox. There was one message that he suddenly wished he would’ve replied to sooner. 

“Daehwi mentioned that you have a start-up,” Chungha said matter-of-factly.

“Oh...yeah, I’m working on it, with two of my friends that I graduated with.” Jaehyun clarified, slightly disoriented. He cleared his throat in between looking at Chungha and the carousel. “We’re trying to develop a new streetwear line. We’re calling it ‘Yoohaeng.’ Doing business isn’t like studying business at all.”

“I’d have to agree. But it is why I personally requested you as my guide for the event.”

Jaehyun felt adrenaline replace the negativity in his mind. “Are you still referring to your plans for your next project.”

“Mhm. I was thinking that we could discuss that more over tea, perhaps. I am an excellent judge of character though. Everybody that I’ve worked with has to be true about their intentions, if they ever want to work with me.”

“I think that’s perfectly reasonable.”

“They have to pass a test first,” she said seriously.

“What kind of test?”

“You have to prove your honesty to me.”

Jaehyun swallowed. If he was ever nervous about any business venture that he’s made in his life, it would be this one. Logic didn’t apply. He couldn’t guess what the test would be. He just had to risk it.

“I can do it,” he declared.  _ I have to do it. _

“I was hoping that you would say that.” She lifted a manicured finger, waiting for the animals on the carousel to spin around at the right time for her to point out her subject. “The black-haired boy, with the glasses. Tell me about your feelings for him.”

Out of all the things that Chungha could’ve asked about, Jaehyun never envisioned it being about  _ that _ . “Mark?”

“You’ve been looking in his direction ever since we got up here, Jaehyun. It’s the first time that I’ve seen you lose your composure. He must mean something, to you. So, I want to know how you feel about him.”

“Is this the test?”

“I’ll know whether or not you’re telling me the truth,” Chungha said, crossing her arms. Her eyes scanned Jaehyun’s, focusing on him with the same intensity that she showed when they were looking at her cosmetics display together. “If you do, then you pass.”

“Well, I just met him two days ago. He was one of my clients.”

Chungha blinked. “For two days in a row?”

“I was late for the first time at this job on the second day that I was with him,” he reflected. “I’m never late to anything. I’m not going to say that it just happened because it was my fault. I lost track of time.”

Chungha said nothing. She simply stared ahead at Jaehyun, pondering the truth as the carousel and the boys on it spun around in circle after circle. Every so often, Mark came into Jaehyun’s view, never looking his way for certain.

“I gave him my phone number before I left,” Jaehyun realized. He opened up his phone, going over the messages that had accumulated since he arrived to Baekhwajeom that morning.

  
  


**Johnny Seo:** Hey, dude, I just sent out an email to the intern that we’re hiring.

**Doyoung Kim** : Johnny and I unanimously agreed to also pick the one that you liked most, Jaehyun.

  
  


He pulled up an unread message from a number that he hadn’t seen before:

  
  


*****-***-****** : yo, this is mark lee

  
  


Deciding to save the number to his contacts, Jaehyun debated on what to say to Chungha. She was right.  _ “He must mean something, to you _ .” The carousel wasn’t the first time that Jaehyun had thought about Mark either today, though it made him much more cognizant of what he was thinking about. The sight of Mark with Lucas made Jaehyun feel unusual for some reason, or more accurately, a reason that he knew of, but has never spoken about. His stare floated over to the carousel. He put his phone in his pocket. There was only so much that he was sure about, at this point.

“I want to see him again.”

“Is that all you want?”

Jaehyun met Chungha’s gaze, head-on. “It’s all that I know that I want. I can’t say anything more than that right now.”

“You should do that then, Jaehyun” she said. Chungha nodded once at him and started to walk away from Jaehyun, her heels clacking against the mall floor with every step.

“Where are you going?”

The blonde girl looked back at him and smiled as she had done many times since they met.

“Let’s talk business.”

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> many more exciting things to come! hope y'all enjoy what's been written so far and expect the next chapter well on next sunday ♡


	5. rule #18

**♡ Mark ♡**

rule #18: Baekhwajeom Boyfriends must adhere to a business casual dress code and must always appear well-groomed during their shift

“Happy birthday, Jaemin!”

The four housemates each took a shot of soju—the peach kind because it was Jaemin’s favorite—knocking their glasses gently against the wooden table when they were finished. Jaemin turned to Jeno and kissed him in between bouts of giddy laughter while Mark and Renjun watched in mild disgust from their side of the table.

“Yo, Jaemin” said Mark, also cheerful. “Are you drunk already?”

“Nah, they’re just gross,” Renjun countered.

The pink-haired boy gave them an overly cutesy grin. “Hey, you guys can’t say anything about me today. It’s my _birthday!_ ” 

“That’s right,” said Jeno, tugging at the wide tassels of the blue satin bow that his boyfriend had tied around his neck. This action prompted more laughter from an apparently _not_ drunk Jaemin, who leaned in towards the blonde for another kiss.

“I still want to have my appetite for dinner,” complained Renjun. “You guys have all weekend to do this shit.”

Renjun wasn’t wrong. Jaemin and Jeno had been planning a trip together to Busan for Jaemin’s birthday ever since Jaemin’s birthday last year. It was all that Jaemin had been talking about recently, although Jeno had planned most of the trip’s logistic details. They’d have plenty of time to do _this_ and...whatever else that they wanted to do without Mark or Renjun around.

“Jaemin,” Jeno began. “Are you all packed for tomorrow?”

“Mhm.” The birthday boy wrapped himself affectionately around Jeno’s arm. “I like it when you wear things like this,” he said, referring to the sleeveless white tee that Jeno had on, and the blue pinstriped button-up vest that he wore over that.

“I know. I put it on because I knew you liked it.”

Jaemin’s eyes expanded in delight. “You’re the cutest.”

“WOW, the food’s here,” Renjun blurted, changing the conversation.

A sizzling iron plate was set atop the portable stovetop in the center of their table. Flavorful aromas mingled inside the bowl of dak galbi, stir-fried marinated chicken in gochujang sauce, alongside rice cakes and colorful vegetables. The boys, due to a combination of sheer hunger and the celebratory mood of the night, opted to treat themselves, paying an additional fee to add ramen noodles to their shared dish. Hot bubbling cheese separated the plate down the middle, if the ramen wasn’t enough either.

“Lessgetit,” said Mark, licking his lips as he raised his metal chopsticks.

“Not yet,” Jaemin objected. “We have to take a picture first. Put your hats on and come over here!”

Renjun pouted, looking at the pink cone-shaped hat that he left on the bench next to him. “Do we have to?”

“We can’t eat until you do,” said Jaemin.

Mark and Renjun did as they were told, the former squeezing in next to Jaemin as the latter sat down by Jeno. Each boy wore their hats with varying degrees of pleasure as they wrapped their arms around each other’s shoulders.

“Thank you,” said Mark as he handed his phone to the waitress.

“Let’s use my phone,” Jaemin offered, passing his iPhone down to the waitress instead. “If I ever want my photos to turn out blurry as shit, I’ll ask to borrow your Android, okay, Mark?”

“Hey!”

The waitress pointed Jaemin’s phone at the four of them. “3, 2, 1!” She gave the phone back to Jaemin. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you,” replied Jaemin. “Let’s eat!”

Perhaps, it was the drinking on an empty stomach or having to watch Jaemin and Jeno make out as an appetizer, but Mark went all-in, scooping everything from on top of the stove onto his own plate. Mark had never eaten out so often in his life until he began living with the other three boys. Truthfully, this was because none of them could cook for shit. To the benefit of their friendship, however, this brought them together. No matter how busy their schedules got or how much they conflicted with one another, the boys always made time to eat together and catch up with one another’s lives.

Drinking just made this more fun.

Jaemin held his phone in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other. Carefully, he picked up a piece of chicken and fed it to Jeno, giggling and taking pictures of the blonde boy as he did so. Jeno returned the favor by leaning in to give his boyfriend a quick kiss, smiling with both his lips and his eyes.

“Y’know, when I get a girlfriend, you guys will be hearing all about our trips together,” shouted Renjun sloppily, after chugging half the beer that he had ordered for himself. “It’ll be so much fucking cooler than Busan.”

“Dude,” began Mark. “Are you even talking to anyone right now?”

Renjun slammed the now empty can down. “Actually...I didn’t want to say this since I’m a gentleman, but there’s two girls.”

Jeno squinted at him. “Why haven’t we heard about either of them?”

“It’s complicated, okay? I know you guys think that a guy like me would be proud of having more than one girl be into them at once, but I’m _not_ that kind of guy. I’m _pure_.”

“Okay, pure boy,” teased Jaemin. “Why don’t you tell us their names then?”

By then, Renjun was in the process of shoving food into his mouth. “I’m trying to keep it lowkey,” he mumbled through half-chewed bits of ramen.

“Sure,” laughed Mark.

“I’m not lying!”

Jaemin moved on to a different point. “What I want to know is why Mark has snuck off to the mall for three days in a row without telling us.”

Mark accidentally dropped the sauce-soaked rice cake from his chopsticks, landing on his plate with a little orangey splash. “I was just buying you a present, that’s all.”

“Bullshit!”

Jeno kept squinting at Mark. “What kind of guys do you like anyway, Mark?”

“Mark only likes guys who are packing,” Renjun interrupted.

“Bro, what the fuck?”  
Renjun put a finger to Mark’s lips. “No, no, no, it’s true! Mark may have never had a boyfriend now, but I know he was throwing some neck in another life.”

Mark playfully shoved Renjun as Jaemin asked another important question. “Is that why Mark likes Jaehyun?”

“That’s kinda fucked up to only like a guy for his dick, Mark,” Jeno scolded.

“Oh my god, that’s not why I like him,” said Mark, exasperated.

The way that Mark’s friends gasped altogether rivaled professional actors’ comic timing.

“You _do_ like him,” shouted Renjun.

“I never said that!”

Jeno’s vision seemed to clear up. “So, you _don’t_ like Jaehyun?”  
The boy being questioned raised a soju bottle to the air. “Who wants a shot?”

This call was thankfully met with cheering from all around the table. _Nice one._ Jaemin poured shots for all of them. They raised their glasses towards the center, preparing to make a toast.

“To the best boyfriend in the world,” shouted Jeno.

“Happy birthday, Jaemin!”

Jaemin’s smile was as wide as his face. “Cheers!”

“Lessgetit!”

_Clink._

Jeno took the shot glass from Jaemin’s hands, replacing it with one of his own. He put his free hand on Jaemin’s cheek, kissing him deeply before moving his hand into Jaemin’s soft, bubblegum-colored hair. “Happy birthday.”

Jeno’s kisses and the soju left Jaemin’s cheeks as pink as his hair. “Wait.”

 _[_ _♫ Trying to let you know...♫]_

“Oh my god. It’s fucking ‘Signal,’” Jaemin gasped.

Renjun gasped too. “I fucking _LOVE_ ‘Signal.’”

The four of them began to perform the choreography while seated, neither of them executing the routine perfectly, but bursting out in laughter, all the same. They never knew how to act whenever they went out as a group, although this might’ve been Mark’s favorite part of all.

TWICE always made doing this shit more fun too.

♡ ♡ ♡

“Lemme get the door,” offered Jeno, taking out his set of keys, as the boys neared their apartment. 

The overall complex was a rather unassuming two-story building of brick that was located in the heart of Gyoyook University’s central campus. Around the building’s perimeter was a lime green canopy that marked the first floor of the apartments (numbering fourteen in total), a strange choice of color which the four housemates used to identify their home for their own sake, as well as for that of their visitors. Two separate entrances into the building led to either cement stairs going downwards or wooden stairs going upwards. The boys lived upstairs, following Jeno to the last apartment on the left: Apartment #7.

Jeno calmly unlocked the door. Inside, apartment #7, the main level’s open floor plan included a small, tiled kitchen area to the left of the front door, as well as a noticeably bigger living area that took up the rest of the carpeted space. To the right of the front door were matching carpeted stairs to the second floor, where the boys’ two bedrooms were, with a bathroom in between them.

_Flick._

“SURPRISE!”

“Holy shit,” yelled Jaemin.

Pink and white decorations had been lovingly arranged in every part of the apartment to celebrate Jaemin’s birthday, from the streamers and fairy lights wrapped around the stair rails to the “1” and “9”-shaped balloons that floated in the center of the living room. Pictures of all of them from over the years hung from the ends of smaller balloons. Stray confetti had even been spread across all of their furniture, a detail that Jaemin’s friends would probably regret incorporating after tonight’s festivities had concluded.

Jaemin looked at all of them, smiling genuinely. “When did you guys do all of this?”

“Renjun and I did it while you and Jeno were out before dinner,” said Mark.

“Jeno told us what to do though,” Renjun noted. “He’s a lot sappier than he lets on.”

“I know he is,” said Jaemin longingly. The birthday boy leaned on Jeno’s shoulder. “I didn’t expect you to do this when we’re already going to Busan tomorrow though.”

Jeno bent down to kiss Jaemin’s forehead. “You deserve the world.”

“We may not have gotten you that, but we did get you a cake,” Mark interjected.

“Sit down, you guys,” said Renjun, gesturing to the dining table underneath the stairs.

Mark went to the fridge, procuring a baking pan that took up a whole slot. The cake was in the shape of a rectangle, divided diagonally into white chocolate and dark chocolate triangles. The lighter half was adorned with cutesy objects, including candy hearts, bows, and a pink present while the darker half featured simple iced sparkles. “JAEMIN” was centered on the cake in silver letters, with “Happy Birthday” in two different lines underneath the name. Mark dotted the “I” in “JAEMIN” with a single candle.

“Happy Birthday, Jaemin,” Mark said proudly, setting down the cake in front of the birthday boy.

“Not bringing the cake on top of a box this year?”

Renjun scoffed. “Not since Jeno dropped it on your last birthday.”

Jeno, who was standing behind Jaemin, looked embarrassed at the thought of that event. “What are you wishing for this year, Jaemin?”

“Hmm,” said Jaemin, feigning being in deep thought. Jeno caught on to this and began playing freely with Jaemin’s cheeks as he spoke, moving his palms in circular motions on his face. “Am I allowed to say I already have everything I want?”

Jeno playfully tapped a hand against Jaemin’s cheek twice. “Blow out your candle.”

Jaemin did as he was told, receiving cheers from the other boys in the room. Mark could see the exact moment that an idea came to Jaemin’s mind because his eyes glinted mischievously. He dipped the tip of his index finger into the white chocolate and stood up to brush it against Jeno’s nose.

“Oops.”

The older boy grabbed his boyfriend by the waist, cake still on his face. “I hope this is what you wished for, Jaemin.”

“Mhm,” he laughed, not really trying to break free of Jeno’s embrace.

“Yo, you can’t have everything you already want anyway,” said Mark. “You haven’t opened our presents yet.”

Jeno and Jaemin stopped moving so Jaemin could speak. “Presents?”

Renjun reached under his seat and procured a longish red box, sliding it over to Jaemin’s seat. “Happy birthday, Jaemin.” 

Jaemin curiously examined the box once he sat back down. “Are these sugarcubes?”

“They’re not just any sugar cubes,” Renjun said proudly, crossing his arms. “They’re the most expensive ones that I found. 124 of them.”

“I’ll put them on my nightstand to eat when I get bored.”

“You are so fucking weird,” Renjun laughed. He went to give Jaemin a hug. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you, Renjun.”

Moving to the coat closet directly next to the front door, Mark secured the gift that he bought two days ago at the mall. Since then, Mark tried his best to wrap the box up, but scrapped both his plan and the wrapping paper when he saw how badly it turned out. He lifted the present onto the table, pushing it next to the box of sugarcubes and the cake.

Everybody’s eyes went big at the sight, most notably, Jaemin’s. “You must really love me, huh, Mark?

“Open it.”

“Oh my fucking god.”

This reaction was better than what Mark had imagined. “Now you can make your dark ass coffee without leaving the apartment.”

“AND you can have this delicious sugar with the coffee from your espresso machine,” Renjun elaborated, 100% winging it but going so hard that it was kinda respectable. “All planned.”

Mark nodded. “What’d you get, Jeno?”

The blonde boy laughed nervously like he was trying to avoid the question. “I was going to give my present to Jaemin at the end of the night.”

Mark cringed in disgust. “Bro.”

Renjun cringed harder. “You can’t just give dick as a birthday present. That’s so unfair.”

“Wait,” Jaemin said. “Who said I wanted that as a birthday present?”

Jeno looked almost taken aback. “Hm? Do you not wan—”

“I’ll meet you upstairs in our bed soon,” Jaemin whispered not so discreetly.

“You guys are the worst,” said Renjun in half-offense. “Why do you have to say ‘our bed’ instead of ‘our room?’”

“It’s more special that way,” Jaemin explained. “If we just left our beds as separate, then maybe ‘our room’ would be fine, but have you ever heard of anyone else pushing their twin beds together to sleep with each other? So, it’s ‘our bed.’”

Mark scrunched his face. “You guys are lucky that we’re friends because that is _so_ dumb. It’s cute. But so dumb.”

Renjun shrugged in agreement. “As long as whatever you do doesn’t get in the way of me sleeping in _my_ bed.”

Jaemin and Jeno exchanged a look.

“We’ll save that for Busan,” Jeno promised.

♡ ♡ ♡

“Renjun,” Mark whispered, half-awake.

“What?”

“What time is it?”

Renjun rolled over in his bed that was across the room from Mark. Mark could vaguely make out the sounds of him fumbling for his phone in the darkness. “1:27.”

“Do you think they’re _trying_ to be quiet, dude? It’s not like their room is even right next to ours. The bathroom is.”

Mark’s roommate sounded dead inside. “I just want them to go on their trip.”

Neither Mark nor Renjun had seen what Jeno and Jaemin’s “new” bed looked like, but Mark hoped with every single fiber of his being that the creaking sounds that were coming from their room were what happened when you put two twin beds against each other. He also hoped that the moaning and occasional curse words coming from the other room was happening because the bed was just 

_So._

_Fucking._

_Comfy._

“I’m moving out,” Mark announced.

“I’m killing myself,” Renjun blurted.

A _lot_ was happening in that moment for Mark. That was saying the least. Well, maybe not as much was happening to Mark compared to what was going on in the bedroom across the hall, but being awake right then was more than enough sensory overload for him to feel a little more than disoriented. In fact, so much was occurring that Mark wasn’t completely sure if he was just imagining that his phone really did light up with a message from... 

_Jaehyun?_

“Holy fuck.”

**Jaehyun:** hey, Mark. it’s Jaehyun. I’m sorry that I didn’t reply sooner. there’s been a lot happening these past few days that I want to tell you all about

**Jaehyun:** I know that being busy isn’t a good excuse for me to not text you back

**Jaehyun:** I promise that I’m normally a lot better at that.

**Jaehyun** : and I know it’s probably way too late/last-minute to be sending this right now but

**Jaehyun** : I want to see you again

**Jaehyun** : let me know if you’re free to meet me at Baekhwajeom tomorrow around noon

“Mark,” whispered Renjun. “You good?”

“No.”

Renjun sounded more worried. “What? Why?”

“Jaehyun just texted me.”

“Booty call?”

“He wants to see me tomorrow.”

Renjun turned around to face Mark. His surprised expression was faintly visible from the light of Mark’s phone screen. “Holy fuck.”

“I should say yes, right?”

“Dude, it’s two in the morning. You don’t want to seem like a booty call.”

Mark paused. “Wait, you said it wasn’t a booty call though.”

“It’s not. But if you reply right now, you’ll seem like a booty call.”

“Wait, what do I say then?”

His roommate stretched his arms up towards the ceiling. “Nothing.”

“Is that a good idea?”

“If he’s into you, then he’ll be waiting for you to reply. If you text him in the morning, it’ll seem like you were minding your business and just so happened to be available to see him later.”

Mark lowered his phone slightly to look straight at Renjun. “Bro.”

“I know, I know. Pretty good, huh?”

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

“Renjun.”

“What?”

Mark felt slightly unnerved. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what? Jeno and Jaemin fucking?”

“No,” continued Mark, more nervous than before. “It sounds like someone is knocking at the door.”

Renjun blinked drowsily. “Are you sure that’s not the bed or something?”

“Yes.”

His roommate was now face down against his pillow, folding it over both of his ears. “You should check that out then.”

Mark contemplated not doing anything for a few seconds, hoping that the knocking was just his ears clowning him again. Maybe he could just lay in bed and it would pass. It would’ve even brought him some peace if the knocking _was_ just his horny roommates. But the knocking continued. The longer that he listened, Mark realized that the noise was coming from downstairs. _Knock._ Fear made its way through Mark’s body as he got out of bed. _Knock._ He picked up his glasses from his nightstand and turned on his phone’s flashlight, slowly descending the stairs. _Knock._

_You got this, Mark._

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Realistically, it was almost two in the morning. Only residents of the complex had the keys to get through the entrance. The knocking was probably a neighbor who needed some help...with something. _Yes, that must be it._ Mark needed that to be it. _It was it_.

When Mark opened the door, it was indeed a familiar face that had shown up, though the unexpected visitor’s physical appearance was much more disconcerting than usual. Despite the cold night air, all that he wore was a ribbed white tank top and grey basketball shorts...and black dress shoes. His normally neat hair looked half-brushed. In addition, his stance lacked his signature energetic charisma. He didn’t have much with him, though the things that he carried seemed random. A black backpack was slung over his shoulders, a blue and navy striped duffel bag in one hand, and in his other hand were multiple hangers that held up articles of a suit.

“Mark,” said Lucas, breathing heavily. “Can I ask you for a favor?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every leading man needs some best friends and I hope that y'all love the ones that Mark has! You'll be seeing all of them more often later, alongside some of Jaehyun's friends in the next chapter coming to y'all next Sunday! ♡


	6. rule #23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place during the same day as the previous chapter, but in Jaehyun's POV

**♡ Jaehyun ♡**

rule #23:  Baekhwajeom Boyfriends may be used for promotional activities/special events hosted by Baekhwajeom Fashion Centre

  
  


“Could you take a selfie on my phone while you hold this reusable straw?”

Chungha furrowed her eyebrows. “Sorry,” she began to say to the fan. “Why?”

The fan was a brown-haired twink in a sleeveless white tee that showed how slender he was. “We should cut down on using disposable straws to save the environment,” he said in a playful tone.

“No, not why do you have the straw, but why do you want me to  _ hold _ the straw?”

“So,” he began, “I’m catfishing this old man with your pictures and he says that he’ll send me money if I take a selfie while holding a reusable straw.”

“Oh, of course, give me the straw and your phone,” she replied, not missing a beat. Today, Chungha wore her blonde hair in waves symmetrically parted over her bare shoulders. Her pink halter dress was simple and summery, patterned with small white and black daffodils. She looked refreshing, easygoing, perfect for meeting her fans. Jaehyun watched from the side of the table that Chungha sat at as she made a kissy face for the camera. “Buy something nice with the money,” said Chungha, returning the items to their owner.

“Ugh. We.  _ Stan _ .” The way that the fan said it spaced his one statement into three separate sentences. “Will you sign my eyeshadow palette?”

“Who should I make it out to?”

“Ten.”

“You look like a ten to me,” she joked. She took the palette and wrote her signature across it in swirly letters. As a personal touch, she added a star to the end, all in her trademark silver glitter. 

“Thank you so much.”

“Thank you for coming to see me.”

Jaehyun was impressed. “Do you get that kind of request often?”

“More often than you think,” she said cheekily. “You can’t say that I don’t help my fans.”

“There’s not as many guys here as I expected,” noted Jaehyun, surveying the crowd gathered in the mall’s center from the stage that had been set up for today’s event. While the faces in line were diverse in terms of physical appearance, the cool-colored ombré of the Byulharang Beauty products in all of their hands was unmistakable.

“It’s a girls and gays event,” she said. “I do have more male followers online, but my business is beauty. Those guys don’t show out for me, in terms of buying my merchandise and supporting my brand beyond Instagram likes. After all, you do have to buy a product from Byulharang to be in line to meet me. The exact clientele that I envisioned when I was designing the brand are the ones who are here today. This is for them as much as it is for me.”

“You really know your audience.”

“And I love them.” She motioned to Jaehyun to come closer so she could whisper this part into his ear. “I’ll take this any day than to be those idol girls with sweaty male fans who don’t shower.”

Jaehyun laughed. “I’m sure you could market your bath water to them and it’d sell out immediately.”

She tilted her head at him before going back to the eager individuals in line. “You didn’t get that business degree for nothing, huh?” 

Chungha spoke to her fans like there were invisible heart emojis at the end of her thoughts. She had a talent for making each person feel like they were special, no matter how many people she had already seen before them. Perhaps that was her personality, though it certainly was an excellent skill to bring to any business meeting. Jaehyun took his role as Chungha’s guide as an opportunity to shadow a peer in his field, examining how she composed herself around the fans that she had gained as loyal customers.

“We’re all set up for the makeup tutorial, Chungha,” said Yoojung, her assistant, as the meet and greet line neared its end.

“Is the makeup in place?”

“Mhm.” She passed a microphone to her client. “Whenever you’re ready, staff will take this table away and we can start.”

“Thank you, Yoojung,” Chungha replied with a smile. “Let’s begin.” 

The star of today’s event stood from her seat and walked towards the center of the stage, where two translucent stools had been brought out, alongside a circular end table that proudly displayed Byulharang’s premiere collection. A rectangular screen behind Chungha projected her image to fans, as well as all potentially interested passerbys throughout the mall.

Daehwi, dressed in light-wash jeans and a white frilly-collared shirt, met her for his emcee duties. Sometimes, Jaehyun forgot that his employer was so young. He was cute when he wasn’t giving orders to him.

Chungha flashed a smile as she waved to the audience. “How is everybody feeling today?” This question unsurprisingly received generous cheers, prompting her next question to Daehwi. “How are you today, Daehwi?”

“I’m very well. Thank you, Chungha,” he answered as if he’d been doing this regularly. “Your makeup looks lovely today.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Is it true that you created this look by using only products from your new makeup line?”

She grinned. “Actually, it is. This look was completely done by products from Byulharang Beauty.” Chungha paused, turning to the crowd. “Would you like to see how I did it?”

The applause that came might as well have been from a soundboard. “Wow,” Daehwi continued. “Should we do a live makeup tutorial right now?”

Jaehyun anticipated the audience’s excitement.

“I think that’d be a great idea,” Chungha agreed. “Jaehyun, would you like to be my volunteer?”

He didn’t anticipate this.

“He’s a little shy,” said Daehwi. “Why don’t we give this handsome guy some encouragement? I’m sure he’d love to join us.”

In spite of Jaehyun’s several mouthed “no”s to both individuals on stage, he reluctantly walked over to them. The Boyfriends’ protocol intruded his thoughts without permission. _Rule #23:_ _Baekhwajeom Boyfriends may be used for promotional activities/special events hosted by Baekhwajeom Fashion Centre._ This was all part of the job.

Maybe he was just too good at it.

Chungha swapped spots with Jaehyun so that he now sat in her stool. She gave him a knowing smile that seemed to say that she had planned this all along. Jaehyun looked over at his boss. The lack of surprise on Daehwi’s face confirmed Jaehyun’s suspicions: Daehwi already knew about Chungha’s choice of “volunteer” before the tutorial was scheduled to begin.

Daehwi met his employee’s stare. “Isn’t Jaehyun cute, everybody?

Jaehyun stopped himself from bashfully rolling his eyes at the audience’s approval, though he didn’t hate their pleased response.

Chungha stood at Jaehyun’s side. ”Today, I’ll be teaching you all how to do my signature sparkling eye look, with the help of Jaehyun here.”

“Please stay tuned for an exclusive Q&A with Chungha after the tutorial has finished,” Daehwi added, clapping his hands together.

“That’s right. I’ll be picking some special fans’ questions to answer at the end of today’s event.” Chungha’s eyes seemed to linger over Jaehyun as she delivered her next statement directly to the crowd. “I hope you’ve prepared some interesting things to ask and are looking forward to this very well.” She lifted the microphone towards Jaehyun. “Before we begin, do you have any thoughts, Jaehyun?”

He lowered himself toward the device in her hands. “Please ‘like’ and subscribe to for more,” he blurted.

Chungha appeared satisfied. “Aren’t you a natural?”

“I mean, let me ask the audience.”

♡ ♡ ♡

“It really does stay on throughout the day,” Doyoung concluded, inspecting Chungha’s glittery handiwork on Jaehyun’s face.

“You look cute, dude,” said Johnny. “Have you taken a look at yourself?”

Jaehyun’s made-up eyelids sparkled in the reflection of his phone screen. A text from Chungha appeared, confirming that she had his phone number. It was a good sign.

  
  


**Chungha** : thanks for playing along today

**Chungha** : I’ll put in a good word to Daehwi before I leave Seoul tomorrow morning

  
  


A slight smile formed on Jaehyun’s face. He went through his other unread texts before going back to Mark’s message from two days ago, which he still hadn’t replied to. All that he had typed out was “hey, Mark. it’s Jaehyun.” before he put down his phone again.

The group of three was currently gathered at one of their favorite restaurants, near Jaehyun’s apartment, an unpretentious diner with white walls and wooden furniture. Food here was simple, yet high-quality. They all ordered the same thing every time that they came: tonkatsu and udon.

Doyoung took a closer look at Jaehyun. “When did Chungha decide that she wanted to choose you for the tutorial?”

“She told me it was Daehwi’s idea,” Jaehyun admitted. “He probably thought this would be a good punishment for me being late to our employee meeting.

Johnny laughed, partially at Jaehyun’s expense. “That boy can make you do whatever he wants while you’re at the mall. Why were you late anyway?

”I just lost track of time while I was with my last client.”

Johnny raised an eyebrow. “So, Daehwi isn’t the only one that you follow around at Baekhwajeom, huh?”

“Sure.”

“Who are you doing from the mall, dude?"

“Jaehyun,” said Doyoung. “You had sex with someone at the mall?!”

“No, Doyoung.”

This seemed entertaining to Johnny, who leaned his head lazily against his arm. “Dressing room or bathroom stall?”

“You’re kidding,” said Doyoung.

Jaehyun smiled in disbelief. “Neither, guys.”

“Okay, dude, then what’s his name at least? You aren’t late for no reason. He must’ve been a cutie.”

“Mark.”

“So you fucked a boy named Mark at the mall,” Doyoung concluded.  _ Total sleuth. _ “Are you guys this horny at the startup too?”

Jaehyun raised his hands in surrender. “That’s not what happened. Don’t put me in the same category with Johnny. Mark’s just a student from Gyoyook that I met earlier in the week,” he explained, omitting the part about giving Mark his phone number. “He came by again the next day.”

Johnny started getting as shocked as Doyoung. “You’re fucking a college kid? What year is he?”

“I’m  _ not  _ fucking anyone,” Jaehyun countered. “He’s a junior.”

“You whore,” said Doyoung, mouth agape. “You’re even worse than Johnny.”

Johnny punched Doyoung on the shoulder. “We’re talking about Jaehyun here.”

Jaehyun ran a hand through his hair. “I haven’t mentioned him because we’re not a thing. He’s cute, but we’re not a thing.”

“Yet,” said Johnny.

“You’re funny,” said Jaehyun.

“So, what does he look like, dude?”

“I don’t have any pictures of him.”

Doyoung gestured to Jaehyun’s phone. “You’re our head of outreach and you can’t find your fuck buddy on Instagram?”

“I haven’t looked.”

“Let me have your phone,” said Johnny, taking the device from Jaehyun. “What does he study?”

“Writing.”

He opened up Facebook and clicked on the search bar, narrating his process. “So, you type in Mark Lee, go to education and put in Gyoyook University to filter your results, then narrow it down further to those who are studying writing.” He put the phone in the center of the table. “Here he is.”

“Stalker,” said Doyoung.

Sure enough, a smiling Mark in a plaid button down and black chinos stared back at Jaehyun from the screen. He looked a little older, more handsome, mature. He was sitting on some sort of wicker bench, with palm trees and a view of the ocean behind him.  _ Vacation picture, probably. _

“He’s a cutie, Jaehyun,” said Johnny, bringing the phone up to his and Doyoung’s view.

“He looks like he’s twelve years old,” said Doyoung. “Does he have to ask his mom if he can go out with you?

Jaehyun avoided the subject. “Johnny, how’s it going with that boy you’ve been seeing?”

“Ten? He left earlier than usual today. Said he had somewhere to go.”

“Wait,” said Jaehyun.  _ Ten, huh? _ “Do you have a picture of him?”

Johnny took his phone out of his pocket, passing it to Jaehyun with the screen open to an Instagram post from his (boy)friend. It was a picture of a flirty brunette boy laying on his stomach as he looked slightly behind him, appropriately captioned “Playing around in my bedroom.” He was exactly the kind of boy that Johnny liked.

“Dude, he was at Chungha’s fanmeeting today.”

“Ten left to go to the mall?”

“He wanted Chungha to take a selfie with a reusable straw to uhh...send it to the guy that he’s been catfishing for money.”

Doyoung’s’s eyes widened. “Oh my god.”

Jaehyun slowed down. “I’m sorry. I didn’t kn—”

“He’s... _ so  _ fucking sexy,” Johnny exclaimed. “Y’know, I was wondering how he could afford to buy me this watch. I thought he stole it, so I wasn’t going to ask him about it, but that’s so hot that he would do that for us.”

“You and Ten are something else,” Doyoung commented.

“You want what we have.”

Doyoung scoffed as the waiter began setting their trays onto the table. “What I want is to eat my food in peace.” He dipped a piece of tonkatsu and lifted it into his mouth.

Johnny didn’t take his eyes off his friend. “Who’s Jungwoo then?”

Doyoung choked on his tonkatsu, coughing uncontrollably.

“Dude, I saw you messaging him on Tinder.”

“Doyoung,” said Jaehyun, wide-eyed, “ _ You’re _ on Tinder?”

“Show us your profile,” Johnny begged.

His coughing ceased, but he sounded more offended than before. “Absolutely not.”

Johnny turned on his phone. “That’s okay. Ten sent me a screenshot of your profile anyway. Take a look, Jaehyun.”

“Please don’t.”

Going against Doyoung’s wishes, Jaehyun went through the screenshots that Ten had compiled, beginning with a picture of “Doyoung, 23” dressed in all peach, glancing to the side.

“Oh, man, I’m turned on already,” Jaehyun teased, proceeding to read his bio aloud. “ _ Wow. _ ‘Entrepreneur by day, can sing lullabies to you at night.’ I’m wet.”

“Keep going, Jaehyun,” said Johnny. “It gets better.”

“Okay, okay,” said Jaehyun. “‘Mine’ by Bazzi as an anthem. I’m sure the boys love that. Whoa, Doyoung. What’s this picture right here?”

Jaehyun turned the phone towards Johnny and Doyoung, the latter covering his eyes in shame. In the third photo of his profile, Doyoung’s messy hair was in his face while he wore a black sleeveless top and a flannel around his elbows. He was staring almost seductively at the camera. This was a side of Doyoung that Jaehyun had never seen since they met on that first day of freshman year.

“I think I got a hard-on when I first saw this picture,” Johnny joked.

“That’s enough of that,” said Doyoung quickly, snatching the phone from Jaehyun.

Jaehyun leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms behind his head. “Well, well. I thought you said that you were too busy with work to date anyone right now, Doyoung.”

“I am.”

“Mhm,” Johnny mumbled as he chewed an udon noodle. “Does Jungwoo like it rough, Doyoungie?”

“Johnny, eat your food.”

Jaehyun and Johnny made a mix of “whoa” noises at this comment from Doyoung. “Ah, well, I’m guessing from this that Doyoung probably lays it down nice and hard,” said Jaehyun.

“I’m jealous,” Johnny added.

Doyoung had a hand on the side of his face as he ate. “Can you guys leave me alone now?”

“I just want my two best friends and business partners to be happy,” said Johnny. He extended his arms to Doyoung at his side and Jaehyun across the table. “Not everyone can say that they have a friend group that’s as innovative and successful and  _ sexy _ as us.”

“You’re so soft, Johnny,” Jaehyun replied.

The oldest boy winked at him. “I know you like that, baby.”

“I don’t know why I decided to agree to doing this startup with you two,” said Doyoung. The faintest hint of a smile broke through his frown. “You’re the worst.”

“If all else fails,” said Johnny, “From the looks of Doyoung’s Tinder profile, I bet he’d make an excellent camboy.”

♡ ♡ ♡

When the party of three left the restaurant, the night was cool, with only the moon and yellow lamplight illuminating Jaehyun’s walk home. Doyoung and Johnny drove home together to their apartment in the opposite direction. It was one of those nights that reminded Jaehyun that summer was ending in Seoul. Soon, autumn would come and change would come with it. This was the first time that Jaehyun wouldn’t spend that season in school. It felt off, or, perhaps, unreal to imagine that he wouldn’t be returning to Bijineseu. The autumn would be his time to spend in any way that he wanted to. He’d have to think about how to use it.

_ Ring. Ring. Ring. _

_ Incoming Call from  _ **Chungha**

“Hey, Chungha,” answered Jaehyun. “Are you packing for your trip?”

“Already finished a few days ago,” she said calmly. “I don’t try to stress myself out the night before I’m travelling. How was dinner with your friends?”

He adjusted his shirt collar as walked. “Good. If you’re ever in the mood for tonkatsu near Baekhwajeom, I have a good recommendation for you.”

“Jaehyun.”

“Hm?”

“Do you remember the questions from today’s Q&A?”

Jaehyun thought it over. A different question came to mind with each step that he took.  _ Why “Byulharang?” Will you be posting videos from each fanmeeting online?  _ “Was there a specific question that I should remember?”

Chungha stopped. “What’s next? That was one of the last fan questions that I answered today. I wish that I could’ve given a better answer, but truthfully, I don’t like thinking about that question. I don’t like thinking that far ahead in the future.”

“Why is that?”

“If you spend too much time thinking about what’s next, I think it starts to scare you. I don’t want to be scared because I’m always thinking about what to do later. I have to make decisions, one at a time.”

“I agree.”

There was another pause on the line. “I think that I might be able to answer that question now though,” she said, finally.

“What’s that?”

Even on the phone, Jaehyun could imagine Chungha’s expression becoming focused. “Tell your partners that I’m interested in seeing what Yoohaeng is working on right now.”

“Are you serious?”

“From our conversation at the teahouse the other day, I think that what the three of you are trying to do has some potential,” she admitted. “I’ve personally never been heavily involved in fashion or design, but I’ve never heard about a streetwear brand like Yoohaeng that has its fundamental concept based on pastels.”

“That’s exactly what we’re trying to do,” Jaehyun managed, trying to keep cool. “Yoohaeng is about preserving the edge that streetwear has while trying to introduce a more playful element to the overall vibe through a unique color palette. We want our brand to stand out in that way—to feel different from what’s currently out there.”

“Naturally. Yoohaeng’s designs and matters of possible collaborations can be sent to my email, as well as my assistant, Yoojung. I’ll text you her email address right now.”

Jaehyun didn’t know what to do or say. He wanted to hug her or shake her hand or shout into the night. “I’ll let the others know tomorrow morning,” he said instead.

“I’ll look forward to hearing from you all.”

“Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity.”

“Of course,” said Chungha. “I have to be up rather early, so I’ll end the call right here. I can’t promise you that I’ll be making any decisions before I’m back in Seoul, but I will look over everything that I can in my free time between meetings and travelling.”

He took a breath. “Take your time. I completely understand.”

“Enjoy the rest of your night, Jaehyun.”

“You too. Safe travels.”

After exchanging “goodbye”s, Jaehyun stopped for a second to take in what he was feeling at that moment. It didn’t quite register to him what had just happened, or more importantly, what  _ may _ happen as a result. Jaehyun looked at his phone, still open to his text messages once the phone call with Chungha had finished. He thought about the question that Chungha and that fan had posed.

  
  


**Mark Lee** : yo, this is mark lee

  
  
_What’s next?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry, this chapter is out a day later than usual! I was a little busier than I had anticipated and I also rewrote a bit to make sure that this was the best chapter that it could be. hope you enjoyed ♡


	7. rule #2

******♡ Mark ♡**

rule #2: Physical touch between Baekhwajeom Boyfriends and clients is **FORBIDDEN** within the property of Baekhwajeom Fashion Centre

  


“Lucas,” began Mark, surprised, “What are you doing here?”

The uninvited visitor seemed reluctant to say anything. He averted his gaze from Mark’s eyes until he literally swallowed his pride, or what was left of it, and stared directly at Mark.

“I got kicked out of my apartment today.”

“What?!”

Lucas went back to avoiding Mark’s eyes as he spoke. “I’ve been struggling to pay rent for awhile now because I’ve been in between jobs...I told my landlord that I just started a second job, y’know, at Baekhwajeom, and would be able to give that paycheck to him when I got it from Daehwi, but he didn’t want to hear it anymore.”

“Oh my god.” Mark looked more closely at the boy on the other side of the door. His big eyes were puffy as if he had been crying. Although his features were as handsome as ever, his appearance was anything but put together. He looked lost. _He_ was _lost._ “Wait, how did you get here?”

“I’m sorry that I came without telling you earlier,” said Lucas, stumbling over his thoughts. “I had to pack my shit up and get out as soon as possible, so I was panicking and I remembered that you said your building was around here and I didn’t know where else to go at the time. When I got here, I just looked for your name on the mailboxes outside and waited until one of your neighbors came, so I could go in and try to find your apartment on my own.”

“Lucas, how long have you been waiting outside for?” Mark didn’t give him time to answer. “Don’t worry about anything. Just come in, please. It’s cold out.” He pointed to the couch in the living room, saying, “You can put whatever you have over there.”

Lucas entered. He swallowed again like he was trying to keep in more tears. “I’m sorry to bother you, Mark. I can look for motels or something else in the morning.”

It hurt Mark to hear Lucas say “sorry” to him after what he must’ve gone through today. _He shouldn’t have to say “sorry” to anyone._ “Please don’t apologize to me, Lucas. It’s okay. I’m more than happy to let you stay here, okay? Let me go upstairs real quick. Just try to settle in here.”

Mark took the stairs into his room, grabbing one of the extra pillows in his bed and a thin, spare blanket from his closet. When he returned downstairs, Lucas was sitting awkwardly on the couch. This sight made Mark feel a little better.

“Take this,” said Mark, offering the pillow and blanket to his guest.

“Are these the only ones you have?”

“No, they’re not,” Mark insisted. “It’s okay. I want you to feel comfortable.”

“I’m sorry, Mark.”

Mark sat down next to Lucas. “You really don’t have to say that to me at all. I mean it.” He thought about the texts that he had just received from Jaehyun. “Do you work at the mall tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah.”

“We can go together on the bus then. I have to uh, take care of something there too. You can come back here after work and we’ll have dinner together.”

Lucas licked his lips nervously. “Thank you for letting me stay here, tonight, Mark. It means everything to me. I’ll try to make it up to you, as soon as I can.”

The smaller boy put an arm around the other’s shoulder, prompting a laugh from both of them. “Don’t worry about that right now. You can sleep here. I’ll talk to my roommates in the morning about everything—well, not _everything_ , unless you want them to know. I’ll probably wake up before the others do, so there shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. Jaemin and Jeno are going to Busan pretty early though. I might have to do some quick explaining to them, but I’m sure that they won’t mind if it’s for a few nights until you can get reoriented and back out there.”

Lucas pulled Mark into him without saying a word, wrapping his arms around Mark’s waist as Mark reciprocated the motion around Lucas’s shoulders. Mark forgot about how the night air hit his skin when he opened his door for Lucas. He hoped that Lucas forgot about the cold too.

_He’s safe here._

“Thank you, Mark.”

Mark couldn’t think of anything else to say. The warmth in their embrace already felt like a “you’re welcome.” _._

“Do you need me to tuck you into bed too?”

Lucas’s expression changed into the smirk that Mark liked to see.

“Maybe later.”

♡ ♡ ♡

 **Jaehyun** : let me know if you’re free to meet me at Baekhwajeom tomorrow around noon

**Mark** : hey, Jaehyun

**Mark** : don’t worry if you were busy, it’s all good

**Mark** : I’ll be there

**Jaehyun** : perfect

**Jaehyun** : meet me at the bookstore when you get here

  


Mark smiled at his phone as he brushed his teeth. He spent last night thinking about replying to Jaehyun’s texts when he woke up and about what Jaehyun would say to him once he texted him back and about how he would dress to see him. The last thought was resolved in the form of a grey top and black pants that were designed to look paint-stained. _I hope he likes this._

“Mark,” whispered Jaemin urgently from outside of the bathroom. “Who’s that naked boy on our couch?”

“Naked?!”

Mark spit out his toothpaste into the sink and rinsed his mouth with water. He opened the bathroom door to a skeptical Jaemin in a yellow tee and dark denim jacket, dressed for travel. His smiling expression was puzzled, yet playful.

“His body is really nice,” Jaemin said, grinning.

“Oh my god.”

Mark rushed downstairs, followed closely behind by Jaemin. _Naked?_ He was hoping that he misheard Jaemin or that his friend was just kidding around with him—he hoped for any possible outcome other than Lucas having his balls out on their couch.

“I’m sure that you didn’t want Jeno and I to find out about your sex life like this, but you don’t have to play innocent around me, y’know,” explained Jaemin. “He’s cu-te.”

“Jeno knows too?”

“Jaemin, baby, you can’t look,” Jeno ordered, noticing Mark and his boyfriend approaching.  
As Jaemin said, Jeno was already downstairs, with a blue and pink tie-dyed button-up and a backpack over a white t-shirt. And sure enough, there was Lucas, sleeping soundly in the couch as Mark had left him, but now visibly without a shirt. Also visible was the large tent in Mark’s blanket as Mark’s eyes went down Lucas’s body, from his chest towards his…

Mark closed his eyes and covered them with his hand in a mix of embarrassed emotions. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“You know you can’t control morning wood, Mark,” said Jaemin. “It just happens.”

“Yeah, it happened to you pretty often in the suite last year,” Jeno offered teasingly.

Mark opened his eyes to face Jeno. “Shut up.”

“HELLO?!”

The group of three turned to see a drowsy Renjun descending the stairs as he rubbed his eyes, perhaps to rid himself of his sleepiness, or to check if what he saw on the couch was for real.

“Mark,” he shouted, apparently quite conscious now. “Is _this_ why you left our room at like 2:00 last night? To get some _dick_?”

_Renjun’s awake._

Mark cringed. “Do you have to say it like that?”

Renjun shrugged. “Well, _look_ , dude!”

By this point, the shouting must’ve woken their guest. Lucas’s eyes were beginning to flutter open. He squinted when he saw the entirety of Mark’s apartment staring baxk at him. His eyes widened when he realized what he must’ve looked lik. 

“Shit,” he blurted, frantically pulling the blanket up over him.

“Lucas,” yelled Mark. “Stop!”

Lucas had pulled the blanket up to his thighs. His already messy dark hair from the night before looked even crazier this morning, most likely from rolling around in his sleep. Panic formed into a dumb smile on his face, which was probably the worst expression that he could’ve made if they were trying to convince Mark’s roommates that they did _not_ have sex on their couch. “Uh...good morning, everyone,” he started in a deep, lazy drawl, “I’m Lucas, Mark’s friend.”

“Do _not_ stand up,” Mark ordered Lucas, walking in front of him. The bespectacled boy turned around to his friends. “I swear that this is the opposite of what it looks like. I literally slept upstairs in my bed last night across from Renjun, just like any other night.”

Jeno looked disgusted. “Dude, you had sex while Renjun was in the same room as you two? Jaemin and I would never do that.”

Renjun looked disappointed. “I thought you told me that you didn’t want to seem like a booty call, man.”

Jaemin looked curious. “You have something big to tell all of us when Jeno and I get back from Busan, y’know, Mark Lee.”

“Mark is a very courteous host,” Lucas offered.

Mark’s eyes glared at Lucas behind him, to his friends, then back to Lucas again.

“Get dressed. We’re going to the mall.”

♡ ♡ ♡

“My roommates think that we had sex, dude,” Mark whined once Lucas and him entered the mall.

Lucas jokingly gasped. “Is that such a bad thing?”

“It is if you’re going to be staying at our apartment. They’ll get the wrong idea about us living together.”

“When people see my body, they immediately think about having sex with me. You can’t blame your friends for thinking that way, Mark. It’s inevitable...you probably thought about it too, huh?”

Mark laughed in shock at how confident the other boy was. “I can kick you out any time, y’know?”

“How are you going to sleep once I’m gone without thinking about the _hours_ of sex that we had last night?”

“Don’t you have a job to get to?”

“Don’t act like you won’t miss me,” said Lucas, sticking out his tongue at Mark as he walked away. “I’ll see you later, Mark Lee.”

Mark waved back. _He’s so weird._ He headed toward the escalator near the Boyfriends’ booth, tracing his steps from a few days ago with Jaehyun. _Jaehyun’s waiting for me_ . This sensation felt new to Mark. He wondered how Jaehyun was feeling. _Why does he want to see me?_ He exhaled. The bookstore was ahead. There wasn’t enough time to think about it.

Jaehyun was leaning on a rotating display of stationary supplies when Mark entered the bookstore. His relaxed stance made the Boyfriends’ trademark black tie and white shirt seem more approachable to Mark. He straightened his posture when he saw Mark walk in.

“Hi, Mark,” he said gently. 

“Hey,” Mark replied. “Are you working today?”

“I have some time left in my break. Until it’s over, I wanted to see you for a little bit.”

“Oh, okay.” _What the fuck, Mark?_ His eyes went down to the pens in front of him. “Do you want to look around?”

Jaehyun smiled at him. “Sure.”

Mark awkwardly began walking deeper into the bookstore, choosing a random aisle to turn down: “YAOI.” _Of course I turned this way._ He could almost hear Jay the bad boy bookstore employee laughing at him somewhere inside the store. “Jaemin really liked the espresso machine that we picked out,” Mark announced, proceeding to judge the books by their covers,

“I’m glad.” Jaehyun humored him in appearing interested in the available novels. “I didn’t say this to you when we were choosing the gift, but I thought it was very sweet that you bought something so considerate for your friend.”

“He deserves it,” Mark said instantly. “Jaemin and I have been friends for a while now, even before he started dating our other friend, Jeno. He loves to tease me, but I know things like this mean a lot to him. That made it worth it.” He took his eyes off the shelf in front of him to look at Jaehyun. “Thank you for helping me choose.” His eyes returned to the books as soon as they had left them.

“That employee must’ve been right when he guessed that you liked this kind of books,” said Jaehyun.

“Hey, that’s not true.”

“You’ve been staring at all of the books instead of me.”

Mark crossed his arms as he leaned against the bookshelf. “That’s not because I like them. You were looking at one of these books too,” he said, pointing at the copy in Jaehyun’s hands.

Jaehyun raised the book to his chest. “I thought it must’ve been interesting if you gave it all of your attention.” He came closer to Mark.

“Well,” Mark began, taking the object in question from Jaehyun, “I’m only looking at you now.”

Truthfully, Mark wanted to look away. It was hard to look at Jaehyun without revealing every single one of his intentions. But it was the way that Jaehyun stared at Mark that made Mark want to tell Jaehyun each daydream that came to mind about him. His stare was warm, deep, regal, familiar. Jaehyun’s pink lips separated from each other, suggesting that their owner would hopefully interrupt the still silence between the two boys.

“Do you like what you see?”

Mark felt his cheeks flush with rosy heat. “Would it be bad if I lied to you?”

“Can you?”

_No._

“I’m not sure.”

“I wish we didn’t have to meet here so often,” said Jaehyun.

“It was your idea to meet at the bookstore though,” Mark disagreed.

“To Baekhwajeom.” The older boy hadn’t stepped away. “Aren’t you tired of coming here yet, Mark?”

It was his third time being here within the span of five days.

“No,” he admitted honestly.

“Are you doing anything tonight?”

The younger boy swallowed. “I’m not sure.” 

This wasn’t a lie either.

“Mark. go on a date with me.”

_What the fuck._

“What?”

“I’ll pick you up a little before 7:00, after I get off of work.”

Several daydreams played in Mark’s mind. None of them seemed to be as unrealistic as the reality that he was living through at this moment. It hit him all too quickly yet his head couldn’t move quickly enough.

“Is this...why you wanted to see me today, Jaehyun?”

The older of the two tilted his head down at Mark, putting a hand on the shelf to the right of Mark’s face. “I don’t want to see you here anymore.”

“What?”

“I can’t afford to bend another rule.”

“Which rule is that?”

Jaehyun moved in closer, never breaking eye contact with Mark as he did so. “#2.”

It became very hard for Mark to focus on the manga volumes behind Jaehyun. “2#?”

“Physical touch between Baekhwajeom Boyfriends and clients is forbidden within the property of Baekhwajeom Fashion Centre.”

The yaoi book that Mark took from Jaehyun fell from his handsto the floor.

 _Maybe I_ should _be into this boys’ love shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, y'all! sorry for the later update than usual. I just moved into my new apartment on campus on sunday and started my first day of classes today, so it's been pretty busy. now that school has begun, I'll do my best to update y'all weekly, but this may not always be the case around exams and whatnot.
> 
> as always, thank you for reading. I'll keep working hard to make this the best that it can be ♡


	8. the rules don't apply

******♡ Jaehyun ♡**

****** The rules enumerated and described within the Protocol of Baekhwajeom Boyfriends do not apply to its employees outside the property limits of Baekhwajeom Fashion Centre

First dates felt different.

Jaehyun knew that they weren’t different from simply being around somebody else in any real sense. Of course, he had already spent hours alone with Mark until this point. Yet the inevitable truth about the matter was that a first date _did_ feel different. He wanted to impress, which was luckily one of his strong suits. With the pace at which all of this came about, however, Jaehyun was absolutely winging it.

Luckily, winging it was another strong suit.

Wearing nothing but a white tee tucked into ripped jeans with a belt, and Tom Ford’s White Suede cologne, he went on his way to pick up his date. Though he had no set plan for their time together, this in no way meant that Jaehyun wasn’t prepared. He liked to feel things out as he went along.

**Jaehyun** : hey, Mark

**Jaehyun** : I’ll be there in 15 minutes

**Mark** : okay

**Mark** : I’ll be ready :)

This seemed like a good sign.

In spite of both facts and feelings, Jaehyun was nervous to see Mark again. The younger boy would probably never guess that based on outward appearances alone. Jaehyun intended to keep it that way; that is, unless things with Mark felt right, an outcome that Jaehyun was beginning to hope for. He turned on his playlist to a stream of Cigarettes After Sex and Daniel Caesar. “Best Part” sounded saccharine tonight. He sang the lyrics to himself anyway—he soaked in the sugary sentimentality.

Jaehyun dialed Mark’s phone number as he approached the curb near Mark’s apartment. He recognized the unassuming complex from his years at Gyoyook. Mark answered after one, two rings.

“Hey, Mark,” said Jaehyun calmly. “I’m outside.”

“Okay, I’m coming!”

The hint of excited urgency in his voice made the corners of Jaehyun’s lips turn upwards. Neither of them ended the call, letting the sounds of Mark’s slightly clumsy shuffling be audible for Jaehyun’s listening pleasure. _Cute._ He stared outside the passenger window of his car at the entrance to the building, waiting for his date to come outside. Jaehyun’s smile grew bigger when he finally saw him.

Mark’s hair fell neatly over his forehead. He was wearing a black and white horizontal-striped shirt, rolling up the sleeves right before they reached his elbows. The silvery square buckle of his belt brought Jaeyhyun’s attention to Mark’s legs, which looked slender in his black chinos. They looked at each other before Mark walked over. Not too quick. Not too slow.

“Hey, Jaehyun,” said Mark.

“I think I like you more with your glasses on,” said Jaehyun.

Mark seemed flustered. “Really?” His eyes darted back to the apartment.

“I’m just kidding,” he answered. “I like both. You look adorable.”

The younger boy spared Jaehyun another “Really?” and replied with a soft expression that did the job better than words would’ve. “You look nice too.”

“Ah, thank you.” This part of the first date was always so ritualistic, yet it seemed entirely genuine coming from Mark. “Are you hungry?”

“Uh...honestly, not really haha,” he laughed nervously. “I didn’t have dinner either, so I’m not sure why I’m not hungrier.”

“You have to eat, Mark. At least a little.” Jaehyun thought for a second. “Do you like bingsoo?”

Mark nodded. His eyes seemed to gleam more without his glasses.

“Have you ever been to the bingsoo shop on South Campus?”

“No.”

“You’ll love it. It’s only a few minutes of a drive from here. They have some snacks too, so you can eat something, okay?”

Mark nodded again. “Lessgetit.”

Jaehyun knew the drive to this dessert café better than he knew the route to his new apartment. Even though him, Johnny, and Doyoung spent most of their days working in the store’s basement, being on the main floor never failed to evoke a sense of nostalgia for their time at Gyoyook. Various decorative shapes alternated between white and seafoam green and minty blue around the store’s interior. Seating was standardized to either the long plush bench along each wall or the chairs that were placed across from them. Jaehyun’s favorite places were like these: unpretentious, welcoming, and friendly, much like the owner.

“Jaehyun!”

And his son.

“Jisung!”

Jisung Park, the owner’s son, was a cute mousy boy of seventeen years of age with a deep voice that betrayed his face. He worked here most days after school, so he knew Jaehyun very well, but was on his own way to being an actual student at Gyoyook next fall. They hugged.

Jisung looked at Mark, then at Jaehyun. “Is this your cousin?”

“We’re on a date,” Jaehyun said casually.

“ _You’re dating your cousin?_ ”

Jaehyun kept eye contact with the employee. “What if I said yes?”

Jisung’s mouth was agape. “Either...way, dad will be mad that you came up on the one day that he isn’t working.”

“Maybe I planned it that way.”

“That’s probably smart. Take a seat wherever.”

Jaehyun and Mark sat near the cloud-shaped neon light mounted on the wall. Mark squeezed onto the bench, Jaehyun on the chair.

“Yo,” Mark began. “Does he still think that we’re cousins?”

“I want to say no,” said Jaehyun.

Jaehyun’s date opened his menu and immediately set it down. “Can we get watermelon?”

“Do you like watermelon?”

“Yeah,” he said, his voice light and drawn out with audible tildes~.

Jaehyun grinned. “We’ll get watermelon then,” he said, waving to Jisung.

“Do you come here often, Jaehyun?”

“I’m a little surprised that you never have. My friends and I have been hanging out here since our first year of undergrad. The owner and his wife and Jisung treat us like we’re apart of the family...Do you want to know a secret about this place though?”

“What?”

“The office for our startup actually operates downstairs.”

Mark’s eyes widened. “No way.”

“It’s honestly just a bunch of shit,” Jaehyun joked.

“Can I see?”

“Maybe soon. Things might just be looking up for us in the basement.”

“Did you make a deal?”

Jaehyun shook his head. “Not quite. Chungha still has to get back to us on what she might want to do next.”

“ _Chungha_?!”

“She called me last night and said she was interested in looking at some of Yoohaeng’s designs.”

Mark sighed. “All that happened last night for me was hearing my roommates have sex across the hallway.”

“Gotta love college life.”

Jisung brought their order in a hefty black bowl on a tray. Inside the bowl, a watermelon was cut in half and made into another bowl, with the edible fruit scooped out into balls and arranged around the shaved ice. Edible flowers cascaded over the top like springtime.

“On the house, Jaehyun,” said Jisung, carrying a white doll-sized pitcher in his hand. “Should I pour this on top or do one of you guys want to?”

“I’ll do it,” said Mark excitedly.

Jaehyun nodded at their waiter. “Thank you, Jisung.”

“Enjoy,” he replied.

Jaehyun watched Mark’s careful attempt at drizzling the condensed milk on top of their dessert, resulting in one small puddle at the base of the shaved ice.

“Fuck.”

Jaehyun laughed more at Mark’s reaction than his actual actions.

“Thank you, Jaehyun.”

“Eat well.”

Mark happily took a spoon and shoveled out a serving of ice and watermelon for himself, chewing with a lot of passion for somebody who wasn’t that hungry. Jaehyun liked to watch him eat. He looked content.

“How is it, Mark?”

“Good,” he mumbled through his bite. “Watermelon is my favorite. I’ll have to bring my friends here. I think they’d love it too. Thank you for taking me.”

“I’m glad that you like it,” said Jaehyun. “How is your writing going for that summer love stories class?”

“It’s going okay,” he said, after chewing. “We have to have some sort of idea to workshop during class on Monday, but I still don’t think I really have anything decent to bring.”

Jaehyun went in for another spoonful. “Have you ever written anything like that before?”

“Not really. It’s not a subject that I have a lot of experience with, I guess haha.”

“Mark.”

“Hm?”

“Have you been on a date before?”

Mark set his spoon down in the area of the watermelon that he had been eating from. “It’s my first date.”

Jaehyun wasn’t going to say anything to make him feel embarrassed for any reason. “I feel like this should’ve happened sooner then.”

“It’s never been something that was on my mind all the time, y’know?” He picked up his spoon again. “I was never actively looking just for someone to date haha. I don’t think that I really met anyone that I would’ve considered dating either. I think that it’d feel different if I did meet someone like that.”

The older boy leaned in one step closer. “How do you feel?”

“I’m not exactly sure yet,” he laughed easily.

Their spoons hit each other inside the near empty bowl. Mark took his spoon away as if they were their hands and not their utensils.

“I suppose summer love is always written to feel kinda fast and sudden,” said Jaehyun. “Same with first dates too. I think at least the good ones should.”

“It’s always like carnival rides or going to the beach or looking at the stars, yeah.”

“Do you like those kinds of things?”

Mark thought about it. “Maybe.”

Their spoons returned to the bowl once more.

“Let’s do all of that then.”

“Right now?”

Jaehyun was already preparing to stand up, car keys in hand. “We can try our best.”

Mark followed him outside to where the car was parked as Jaehyun unlocked the vehicle. He went into the trunk and procured a beach towel alongside a spare hoodie and a little something else which he tucked into the front pocket of his jeans. Things secured, Jaehyun locked the car before Mark could climb into the passenger seat.

“Wait,” Mark began. “Aren’t we going somewhere else?”

“You said people are always going on carnival rides on first dates, right?”

“We’re going to the carnival?”

Jaehyun pulled out his phone with his free hand and located his target down the block from the bingsoo shop. “Close.”

The pair approached an orange motorized scooter, available for temporary rental by any licensed driver who had downloaded the scooter service’s corresponding app. Jaehyun rarely had a valid reason to use one of these since he had a car, but the date seemed like the perfect excuse to try something new.

“Have you ever tried one of these, Mark?”

“Not with someone else.”

Jaehyun handed Mark the items that he procured. “Will you hold this, please?”  
“Where are we going?”

“The beach, of course. To look at the stars.”

Nobody made dumbfounded look as cute as Mark did. He stood behind Jaehyun on the scooter, not doing anything more or less. Jaehyun turned back slightly and guided Mark’s arms around himself, maintaining eye contact with him all the while.

“Are you holding on tight?”

“I hope,” said Mark.

“I hope so too.”

Jaehyun smiled as he navigated their destination. _We’ll come back for the car later._ Once the endpoint was locked in, they went on their way. It was strange that only Jaehyun’s back felt warm in spite of the wind rushing past them, but he found comfort in knowing that the heat was because of how close he was to Mark. He liked that he could feel Mark’s breath on his neck. And he liked how he could hear Mark’s off-balanced giggling in his ears.

“Can I drive on the way back?”

“Are you old enough to drive?”

Mark loosened his embrace. “I’ll jump off of this scooter.”

“Bet,” said Jaehyun, stopping without warning.

“Yo, okay, I was just kidding,” Mark admitted. “You don’t gotta do all that.”

“Good. We’re almost there.”

While it wasn’t the coldest night of the summer, nor was it too late into the night, few individuals walked along the shore tonight. The sea called Jaehyun with its unknown charms. He stopped the scooter at the boardwalk, allowing Mark to step off before he did the same and took the towel that Mark held for the two of them. The boys took off their socks and shoes and let their feet sink into the sand below them.

“I can’t believe that we’re here right now,” said Mark, wiggling his toes. “It’s kinda cold out at this time.”

“That’s why I brought this,” said Jaehyun, pointing at the grey hoodie that Mark was still holding on to.

Mark backed off. “You’re wearing a short-sleeved shirt.”

“Wear it.”

The younger boy looked at Jaehyun, then dropped his shoes to the ground, so he could slide the sweatshirt over his head. It fit slightly oversized on his skinny build, but it made him look cozier to Jaehyun.

“It smells like you,” said Mark, pulling down his new garment’s sleeves to his wrists. “Like your cologne.”

“Is that a good thing?”

Mark smiled. “Let’s pick a spot to set down the towel.” He picked up his shoes again and skipped towards the water, not looking back to see if Jaehyun was behind him yet. The brown-haired boy went after him, laying the towel down on a spot in the middle of the beach. There was just enough room for the two of them to comfortably lay together, side by side, with the additional company provided by the stars on their own dates in the sky. Jaehyun put his arms behind his head, turning to his date beside him.

“Mark.”

“What’s up?”

“What do you like most about writing?”

Mark turned towards Jaehyun too. The small distance between them made “distance” seem like the wrong word to use. He licked his lips, preparing himself for an answer.

“I don’t think I have just one thing that I like most about it.”

“Then tell me all the things that you like about it.”

One of Mark’s hands found its way to the back of his neck. “Hmm. I like how I can put myself into what I write about. But there’s also enough space within writing where I could say that it’s not about me for real. I can write about things that have happened or are happening or that haven’t happened yet, or even things that I wish or didn’t wish would happen, y’know? Writing lets me wander to places that I’ve never been to or places that I thought I would never be able to revisit. I feel like anything is kinda possible, if I’m motivated enough to get it down on paper.”

Jaehyun preferred to keep silent until Mark had finished speaking, particularly when he went on about the things that made him happy. Jaehyun couldn’t say anything more interesting. He was the reader. Mark was the author.

“How do you come up with ideas?”

“It’s usually like things that I’ve seen that I thought were interesting, or thoughts that came to mind when I saw things that I thought were interesting,” said Mark. “Or it’s just based on how I feel at any particular time. But that changes all the time, so whatever I’m writing reflects how I’m feeling as I keep going, y’know?”

The brown-haired boy got closer. He wanted to learn more about Mark. Each answer drew him towards Mark, though there wasn’t a great deal of space in between them. If Mark minded, he didn’t move away.

Jaehyun stared at Mark, quickly licking his lips too. “How do you keep track of all of those ideas?”

“With whatever is available,” replied Mark. “I’ll usually have my laptop with me at all times when I’m at school. Ideally, I would write things down in my journal though, if I have it at hand.”

“Have you started using the journal that you got from Baekhwajeom?”

“The one that you helped me pick out?”

“Mhm.”

Mark seemed to realize how close they had gotten. “Not yet haha,” he stated nervously. “I don’t want to start it off with just anything, y’know?”

Jaehyun nodded, remembering the gift for Mark that he had hidden in his pocket. On the way to his pocket, Jaehyun’s hand brushed against Mark’s. He left it there, opting to get the present with his other hand before transferring the small rectangular box into Mark’s own hand. It was nothing especially astounding, but it did make Jaehyun think of Mark when he saw it earlier that day at the mall.

Mark examined the box’s contents with those awestruck browns of his. “Did you buy this from the bookstore too, Jaehyun?”

“It’s only right for me to buy you something to write in your journal with,” said Jaehyun, carrying a semi-satisfied ease in his sentence. 

The present was a fine-tipped fountain pen with black ink, which seemed rather classic when juxtaposed to the rose gold that made up the rest of the model’s design. It wasn’t expensive, nor luxurious, yet Mark gazed at it as if Jaehyun had given him a magic wand.

“It comes with a cartridge,” Jaehyun explained. “The box says it comes with a ‘bladder-type converter,’ so I guess the Internet said that you can refill the pen using an ink bottle too.”

“Thank you, Jaehyun.”

“Of course.”

Whether intentional or not, the box slipped from Mark’s hands, permitting access to Jaehyun to interlock his fingers with Mark’s. The way that Mark looked back at Jaehyun this time made him think that this wasn’t happening by sheer coincidence, regardless of the nerves that either of them may have been feeling.

“So,” Jaehyun started, “Do you think that you’ll start writing in your journal now?”

Mark didn’t avert his eyes as he spoke. “I think I still need something special to write about first.”

Their fingers laced over one another’s more tightly as Jaehyun put his free hand at the back of Mark’s head, bringing the younger boy towards him. Even with his eyes closed, Jaehyun could feel the heat rising to Mark’s face. His lips were soft, gentle. Jaehyun smiled into their kiss, breaking away due to laughter at what Mark’s first and second thoughts once their lips left each other:

“Watermelon is definitely my favorite flavor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long, y'all! adjusting to the first month of campus life has been up and down and I honestly wasn't sure if I wanted to keep going with this story. after going back and forth deciding, I have this chapter for y'all (and already have some more completed that are on the way)! I'm going to try to work on this story until it's the best that it can be. once again, thank you for waiting for me and for reading my writing—there's more on the way ♡


	9. rough drafts

******♡ Mark ♡**

For your first graded assignment, you must submit a three-page rough draft of your short story. *****

( ***** These do **NOT** have to be perfect. You will be editing these pieces as you go along.)

  


Getting all of his ideas into actual words was always the most difficult part about writing for Mark. He never wanted to force the writing to occur, although deadlines unfortunately didn’t quite allow him to go forth only when inspiration struck. But he was feeling inspired as of late. Mark looked at the pen that Jaehyun had given him a few days ago at the end of their date. The ink flowed out easily onto his journal as he doodled a single heart in the margins of the page that he was using to outline his rough draft. _Why did I do that?_ He asked Jaehyun if he could see him again after this Friday when his initial draft was due: two days from now. Jaehyun understood—he had to iron out the details regarding the potential collaboration with Chungha, as well as scout for plan Bs in case that fell through. His friends didn’t know about that yet, with the possible exception of Renjun, who didn’t press Mark for too much detail anyway.

_Knock, knock._

“Come in,” said Mark, seated as his desk.

“What are you working on?” And of course, Lucas was here too. Mark didn’t expect that he would get so used to the sight of Lucas walking around without a shirt on, nor did he think that his roommates would be just as accommodating of their guest but there he stood in the doorway in nothing but grey sweatpants and that grin on his face.

“I’m trying to outline my story for class.”

Lucas came up behind him, putting his arms on either side of Mark’s. “What’s it about?”

“I kept looking at this on the cover,” Mark said, turning the journal to its front to show Lucas the ambiguous “DNYL” that had caught Mark’s attention. “I know the point of the assignment is to create a summer love story, but I was trying so hard to think of an acronym for these letters until I found something that I kinda liked: ‘Don’t Need Your Love.’”

“So angsty, Mark.”

“Maybe a little, at first. I want it to be kinda like a club for people who are upset about love, whether that be unrequited love or recovering from a break-up or being cheated on. I know it sounds super like _deep_ but it’s actually going to lighten up a lot more. Everyone in the club will get really close to each other as friends, and I think the main characters will maybe find something more than that too.”

Lucas moved his head over one of Mark’s shoulders. “I didn’t know you were so romantic.”

“I didn’t either haha.”

“Can I sit on your bed?”

“Yeah, sure.”

While Mark kept making notes, he checked to see what Lucas was doing behind him. _Probably on his phone or taking pictures of himself_. When Mark turned, Lucas was just sitting on Mark’s bed, legs spread apart as he watched Mark write in silence.

“Sorry for staring,” said Lucas. “I just like to see you all focused.”

“Would you consider yourself to be a romantic, Lucas?”

“Of course.”

Mark turned all the way around in his chair. “Why?”

“Why not?”

“Okay, but you have to tell me some more reasons than that.”

Lucas patted the space next to him on the bed, inviting Mark to sit next to him. The younger boy took his pen and journal and did just that. He breathed in the cool scent of bergamot that lingered on Lucas’s body. Mark’s eyes were drawn to the silver chain that fell at Lucas’s chest.

“You wanna touch my chest, dude?”

“Absolutely not,” countered Mark.

Lucas shrugged. “You can if you want. Think of it as a gift for letting me stay here at your apartment. I’d say that’s a pretty equal trade, if you ask me.”

“ _Ha ha_. Do you always wear this necklace for any specific reason?”

“I just think it’s sexy,” said Lucas, clutching onto the chain.

“Of course that’s why.”

“I’ve always wanted to have some things that were mine—like someone could look at a specific pose or something and they would think, ‘Lucas.’”

Mark laughed at how dramatically his friend said that last line.

“You’re just laughing because you want me.”

“You’re so obnoxious sometimes.”

“Bro, _you_ want me!”

The black-haired boy threatened to swing his journal at Lucas, who stopped it before Mark could begin the motion and grabbed the notebook from him.

“Yo, I need that.”

“What? You got nudes in here or something?”

Mark furrowed his eyebrows in amazed disbelief. “How would I even have nudes in my journal?”

“I don’t know,” Lucas admitted, holding the journal away from Mark. He tilted his head away from Mark as well. “You _are_ pretty creative.”

“You’re so horny, dude.”

“ _I_ am a romantic.”

The boys mirrored their positioning to one another, both leaning away from the other. “How did we get so far away from that conversation anyway?”

“You came up to me on this bed and just couldn’t stop thinking about having sex, dude,” said Lucas, sounding simultaneously offended yet pleased with himself. “I know I walk around the apartment without a shirt on, but it’s because we’re a couple...of besties. I can’t help that I’m comfortable with my body, especially because it looks like _this_ , but your roommates can stay calm when they’re around me. And you can keep it in your pants too, Mark. I’m not a piece of meat. I’m a person, just like you, with broad shoulders and perfect proportions and a massive—”

“I’m going to throw your stuff outside if you finish that sentence.”

“...Heart,” said Lucas. “Happy?”

Mark snatched his journal back from his friend. “Just answer the question.”

“I think everybody should be a romantic,” said Lucas, playing with his necklace with two fingers. “Is there a point to life if it isn’t romantic?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Obviously, life isn’t ever going to perfectly meet all of your expectations. I think that if you try to see the best about everything around you, then that’ll probably be the closest to perfection that you can get during any point of your life.”

“Profound.”

Lucas crossed his arms behind his head. “It isn’t easy being pretty _and_ smart.”

“Is that related to why you want to be a model?”

“I guess so. It doesn’t happen every single time, I’m sure, but when I see a shoot I did come to life, that’s when I feel like I’m at my best. The hope is that other people will see those pictures and get confidence from me to feel their best too. I know that modelling isn’t something that’s really needed at all in the world, especially when I haven’t even done anything big either. There’s so many different jobs that would be more useful in so many different ways. I think that this is what I want to do though. And I think it’s what I’m good at.”

Mark always appreciated the ease at which Lucas could talk about anything with him. He was never too scared to be vulnerable about his feelings—this helped them become closer.

“I don’t think that defines you though,” said Mark. “Your looks obviously help you a lot in modelling, but I don’t think that’s the only reason why you’d be a great model either.”

“Really?”

“There’s so many different sides to you, y’know? You have all of this charm and personality and you’re good at making people feel comfortable around you. I think all of that shows through in pictures and in real life. It’s my favorite part about you.”

The older boy smiled, almost shyly. Mark guessed that he was making a similar expression. He felt a little weird after saying all of that to Lucas. He didn’t regret it. It was as if he had just said more than he intended to, or even knew about, except everything was true.

“I didn’t know that you thought that way about me,” Lucas admitted, still shy.

_I didn’t either._

“I do.”

“I can’t say that I wish I was kicked out of my apartment,” began Lucas, “I still think that where I’m at right now in my life is the best part of it so far. 

Mark laid himself down on his stomach on the bed. “How are you so sure?”

“I got the Baekhwajeom job not too long ago. It’s no real modelling, but it’s almost close enough hahaha. And I like doing it, at least,” he said, nodding like he was physically confirming the words that he was saying. “Yeah, I got thrown out of my old place. I didn’t like it anyway. And I met you. I don’t have all my shit together right now but I can’t regret anything that happened. Right now, I’m content. And I know things will get better too.”

Lucas laid down on his back, with his head next to Mark’s. Although neither of them said a thing, it felt like nothing had to be said. Mark took in his thoughts as he took in the scent, the feeling of being around Lucas. For some reason, he felt like he wouldn’t forget about these qualities despite only being familiar with them for so long. Something told him that he would be able to recognize Lucas from anywhere.

“Are you going to get more writing done tonight?”

“Not sure,” answered Mark. He cleared his throat. “I probably should.”

Lucas leaned his head on his arm. “What time is your class tomorrow?”

“My poetry class is at 11:30 and my short stories class is right after that at 1:00.”

“Back to back?”

“Yeah, they’re not far from each other though, so I can definitely walk from one to the other during the ten-minute break. Do you have work tomorrow?’

“Everyday.”

Mark checked his phone. _10:13. Fuck it._ “Do you want to watch a drama or something?”

“I have a lot more free time than you do, so I’ll let you decide,” said Lucas knowingly.

“You can pick which one then.”

“Can I see your laptop?”

“Sure.” Mark climbed off the bed and went over to his desk, bending slightly over to unplug his computer from its charger. He set the laptop down where was laying down, unlocked it, and passed it to Lucas, who began typing with ease: _What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?_

“I’ve heard lots of good things about this one.”

“Is this another rich stuck-up CEO and poor nice girl storyline?”

Lucas pointed a finger in Mark’s direction. “Al-most.” He queued up the pilot episode and set the laptop up on Mark’s pillows while he rotated his body 180 degrees and laid on his stomach to prepare for viewing. Mark joined him, tucking the journal and pen aside.

“If I don’t like the first episode, then we’re watching something else,” said Mark.

“You’ll like it. The Vice Chairman character is a lot like me.”

“Maybe we should already pick something else.”

They didn’t.

They watched one, two, five episodes without any interruptions other than bathroom breaks and trips downstairs to get snacks. Mark was mad for a variety of reasons: That he actually was enjoying the show, that he was hating the Vice Chairman less and less as he’s started to fall in love with Miso, or Secretary Kim, and mostly—

“Why does he actually kinda remind me of you?”

Lucas popped a seaweed chip into his mouth. “I told you so.”

“I hope this doesn’t make you proud,” Mark replied, taking some chips for himself. “The Vice Chairman is a lot better-looking than you are.”

“There’s a lot that he can’t do to change your mind like I could,” said Lucas. “I like to take my victories where I can, but you’ll come around eventually.”

“You’re so weird.”

“Man, I want ramen now.”

This would’ve been more random if the drama wasn’t still playing. Miso had invited Vice Chairman over to her home for cup ramen, a dish that the Vice Chairman apparently has never consumed before in his life. Admittedly, as he ate onscreen, Mark felt the cravings come on for him as well. Before he made that choice, he laughed at the characters’ discussion.

“Do people actually invite each other over for ramen when they want to express that they’re interested?”

“It means they’re trying to fuck,” said Lucas bluntly.

“No way.”

“I mean, have you ever been invited over to some guy’s house for ramen?”

“Well, no.”

Lucas raised his hands. “See?”

“Hey, that’s not a fair question to ask.”

“Can we make ramen though?”

Mark rolled his eyes. “Let’s see if we’re hungry after this scene ends, okay?”

“Lessgetit.”

♡ ♡ ♡

Mark woke up in a daze, still wearing the clothes that he had worn to classes yesterday. His laptop had been pushed to the far edge of his bed, probably so he could go to sleep, though he didn’t remember personally doing that. As his eyes adjusted to morning daylight, he turned and froze when he saw a sleeping Lucas, shirtless, with his arm around Mark’s waist. He prayed that Lucas still had his sweatpants on.

_Holy shit, we must’ve fallen asleep together._

He scrambled for his phone, somewhere underneath his pillow or his blanket or hopefully _not_ , Lucas, so he could check the time. _11:09_ . He was going to be late. Carefully but urgently, he took Lucas’s arm off himself and rose up from the bed when his roommate came in, a backpack slung over his shoulders so he could go to _his_ 11:30. 

“Yo, this isn’t what it looks like,” pleaded a disheveled Mark.

Renjun smirked like he thought Mark was full of shit and gestured to the laptop.

“I didn’t know you liked this show, Mark.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'CAUSE WHEN WE JUMPING IT'S POPPING, WE JOPPING


End file.
